Trump Expands Sanctions on ICC, Straining US-Japan Relations Over Judge Akana

The Trump administration has intensified sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), blacklisting its president, Tomoko Akana, who played a role in issuing arrest warrants against leaders including Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin. This move has placed Japan, a major supporter of the ICC, in a difficult position, as Tokyo had actively lobbied Washington over the past year to avoid sanctioning Akana.

Japanese officials warned that targeting Akana could undermine the integrity of the international judicial system, damage bilateral relations with the United States, and cause national embarrassment. Akana, highly respected in Japan, is the head of the ICC, which Japan funds with about one-sixth of its $230 million annual budget. She began her career in 1982 as one of only two female prosecutors in Japan and joined the ICC in 2018. Her involvement in sensitive cases has previously made her a target for retaliation, including a Russian conviction in absentia last December following the ICC's arrest warrant for Putin.

Japanese Foreign Minister Sanae Takaichi described the situation as "very regrettable," signaling rare public displeasure toward the US, Japan's key security ally. The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans to the US, raising concerns in Japan not only about the future of international law but also about the stability of the US-Japan alliance amid Trump's policies.