Tokyo opposes US sanctions on Japanese ICC chief

The US government has imposed sanctions on senior members of the International Criminal Court, including ICC President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese judge. The measures, imposed by Secretary of State, freeze any property and financial interests the sanctioned individuals hold in the US and place restrictions on services with American companies. They also generally ban the sanctioned individuals from entering the US.

According to the Japan Times, the US described the ICC as a "corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority." The sanctions were imposed under an executive order issued last year authorizing the penalties.

Tokyo has objected to the US sanctions on Tomoko Akane, calling Washington's move "very unfortunate."

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Punch, Japan Times — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.