Japan PM Takaichi voices support for ICC, multilateralism in 1st U.N. speech

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed her backing for the International Criminal Court (ICC) during her opening remarks at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. This stance highlights Japan's dedication to multilateralism while sidestepping a direct challenge to the U.S. sanctions currently imposed on the ICC.

Takaichi characterized Japan as a "peace-loving nation" that adheres to a defense-centric policy, countering accusations of a rising "neo-militarism" in response to Beijing's criticism of her government's defense expansion.

The U.N. speech marked Takaichi's maiden address as premier, occurring in a time when the 81-year-old global institution's capacity to tackle threats to the rules-based order is under scrutiny. These threats encompass the Middle East war, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and North Korea's nuclear and missile expansion efforts. Takaichi informed the assembly that the "stable post-Cold War era" has effectively ended, but asserted that the United Nations remains a crucial entity in fostering peace and stability worldwide.

At home, the focus of Takaichi's address has been on her potential response to U.S. sanctions imposed on Tomoko Akane, the Japanese national who serves as the ICC's president. While Washington deems the court a threat to state sovereignty, Takaichi refrained from criticizing the U.S. Instead, she emphasized that Japan cannot tolerate unilateral actions aimed at altering the status quo, drawing attention to Russia's aggression against Ukraine as the most evident example.

Takaichi pledged Japan's commitment to maintaining the international order, advocating for denuclearization of North Korea and expressing readiness to engage in dialogue to address the long-standing issue of Japanese abductees. She reiterated Japan's historical support for international courts, including the ICC, emphasizing the rule of law in resolving conflicts since the end of World War II.

With the global economy grappling with uncertainty due to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and the disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Takaichi outlined Tokyo's plan to bolster the economic and energy resilience of Gulf states. Concerns about arbitrary export restrictions are surging globally, and Takaichi highlighted Japan's initiatives, like the Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia, to ensure energy supply resilience and offer financial assistance.

Concerning Japan's role in U.N. reforms, Takaichi called for expanding both the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Security Council to better represent the contemporary international community. The institution responsible for preserving global peace has been criticized for its incapability to prevent recent conflicts, such as Ukraine's invasion, primarily due to the veto power of the five permanent members—the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France.

Takaichi's commitment to supporting the United Nations, as Japan commemorates seven decades of membership, includes calls for enhancing cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) and holding an AI summit in Japan at an early date. Additionally, addressing global warming, she argued that climate change measures can be achieved concurrently with economic growth.