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🇳🇱 Netherlands /Elections & Politics

Japan’s muted response to U.S. ICC sanctions sparks discontent inside governing party

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Lawmakers in Japan’s governing LDP are urging Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to strongly protest U.S. sanctions against International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane.
  • Takaichi initially called the sanctions regrettable and later described them as incompatible with Japan’s position, but Tokyo has not filed a formal protest.
  • Japan, the ICC’s largest donor, has tried to balance its support for the court with its important and sometimes unpredictable relationship with Washington.

The criticism of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is coming from inside her own party. A group of LDP lawmakers led by senior party figure Gen Nakatani wants her to lodge a forceful protest against U.S. sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane.

The United States placed Akane on its sanctions list on August 18, alongside Senegalese ICC lawyer Abdoulaye Seye. Washington accuses them of involvement in efforts to prosecute officials from countries that do not recognize the court’s authority. Takaichi initially said only that the sanctions were “very regrettable.”

That is a feeling, not a position.

· Gen NakataniHe criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s initial response to the U.S. sanctions against ICC President Tomoko Akane.

“That is a feeling, not a position,” Nakatani said at a news conference. He urged the prime minister and cabinet to protest, demand the sanctions’ immediate withdrawal, and make clear that Japan would continue to fully support Akane and the ICC.

The dispute reflects the pressure facing Tokyo. The sanctions follow U.S. anger over an ICC investigation into American troops in Afghanistan and the court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Neither the United States nor Israel belongs to the ICC. The Trump administration is also trying to persuade other countries to end their support for, and participation in, the court.

We must return to a foreign policy based on these values.

· Gen NakataniHe called for Japan to base its foreign policy on its stated commitment to the rule of law.

Japan remains the ICC’s largest donor. It contributed more than 4.5 billion yen in 2025, equivalent to about 25 million euros. “Japan has always attached great importance to the rule of law,” Nakatani said. “We must return to a foreign policy based on these values.”

incompatible with Japan’s position

· Sanae TakaichiThe Japanese prime minister’s later description of the U.S. sanctions.

After the initial criticism, Takaichi used stronger language, calling the sanctions “incompatible with Japan’s position” and saying she viewed the matter “very seriously.” The government says Japan tried until the last moment to dissuade Washington, but it has not submitted a formal protest, unlike in 2023, when Tokyo protested a Russian warrant against Akane.

An anonymous government official cited by the Asahi Shimbun said Takaichi deliberately chose restraint because stronger language could have been interpreted as direct criticism of the Trump administration. Japan recently made major investment promises to narrowly avoid high U.S. tariffs. The newspaper argued that the cautious approach had backfired, noting that Japan had declined to sign an earlier statement of support for the ICC from 79 countries because provoking Washington seemed unwise. “The result is the expansion of the sanctions we are now witnessing, with Akane as the target,” the commentary said.

The result is the expansion of the sanctions we are now witnessing, with Akane as the target.

· Asahi Shimbun commentary writerThe commentary argued that Japan’s restrained response had failed to prevent the sanctions.
About this summary

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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