Tokyo opposes US sanctions on Japanese ICC chief

The US government has imposed sanctions on senior members of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including Tomoko Akane, a Japanese judge who heads the ICC, and Abdoulaye Seye, a senior trial lawyer. According to the Japan Times, the sanctions, which freeze any US-based property and financial interests, were imposed by Secretary of State under an executive order issued last year.

The US government described the ICC as a "corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority." The sanctioned individuals are also generally banned from entering the US.

Tokyo has objected to the US sanctions on Tomoko Akane, with the Japanese government calling the move "very unfortunate," according to Punch.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Japan Times — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.