US sanctions ICC chief Tomoko Akane of Japan

In a move targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC), the United States imposed sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan, alongside another senior official from the organization. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that these individuals have been involved in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose governments have not consented to ICC jurisdiction.

The ICC responded by accusing the US sanctions of undermining the rule of law, emphasizing that when judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it places the international legal order at risk. The sanctions bar the targeted individuals from entering the United States and from conducting transactions in the US financial system.

This action comes in response to the ICC's investigation into Israel, a US ally, following the war in Gaza, where ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.