Japan criticises US over 'unfortunate' sanctions on ICC

Japanese Judge Tomoko Akane walks before delivering a verdict at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, on Nov 20, 2024. (File photo: Pool via AP) 19 Aug 2026 05:48PM TOKYO: In a rare criticism of its United States ally, Japan on Wednesday (Aug 19) described Washington's decision to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court's (ICC) Japanese president and a senior trial lawyer as "very unfortunate".The pushback came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was imposing sanctions on Japanese judge and ICC President Tomoko Akane and Abdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese lawyer on the prosecution team that sought an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The US State Department had said on Jul 13 that "no diplomatic option will be off-limits in