Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday that US sanctions targeting International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane are incompatible with Japan's position and deeply concerning, pushing back against the Trump administration's designation of the Japanese national.
Takaichi rejected criticism that her response has been weak, saying Japan lobbied Washington at various levels to exempt Akane and emphasised that Tokyo must protect the court as its largest financial contributor. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi confirmed that the foreign ministry's international legal affairs bureau chief met Akane in the Netherlands to discuss the matter.
The sanctions, announced last week by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also targeted senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye under an executive order authorising measures against the court. A cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers has faulted the government's stance as markedly weaker than those of allied nations.