Secretary of State Marco Rubio “raised the necessity of U.S. sanctions on the International Criminal Court” during a telephone call with his Japanese counterpart over the weekend — further highlighting the allies’ conflicting views. Rubio told Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi that U.S. sanctions on the ICC were needed “as a result of the Court’s rogue actions that threaten American sovereignty,” according to a State Department readout of their meeting. A Japanese readout released late Saturday by the Foreign Ministry said Motegi had “conveyed the Japanese government’s position on the recent U.S. institutional sanctions,” with the two top diplomats agreeing “to maintain close communication.” Before his talks with Rubio, Motegi also spoke over the phone with ICC President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, with the two exchanging views “on the current situation surrounding the ICC,” according to the Foreign Ministry.
President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday ordered the Treasury Department to add the entire court to its Specially Designated Nationals list, a move that would impose financial punishment on any entity that does business with the ICC. The announcement was a step beyond his administration’s targeted sanctions against top court officials, including Akane. The Trump administration in August imposed sanctions on Akane and a senior ICC trial lawyer as part of a campaign to “systematically disable” the Hague-based tribunal.
The measures freeze assets under U.S. jurisdiction and largely bar U.S. individuals and companies from transactions with them. Because most internationally active banks have ties to the U.S. financial system, the sanctions effectively shut targeted individuals and organizations out of the global financial system. On Saturday, the court’s Assembly of States Parties, its management oversight and legislative body, called for “the immediate revocation” of the sanctions, urging “the international community to stand firm in defence of the Court in the face of these unprecedented measures, and to demonstrate their collective resolve to safeguard the integrity of the international rule of law.” The sanctions push has put Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in a tough spot as she looks to balance Japan’s key security alliance with Tokyo’s support for multilateral organizations.
Takaichi said immediately after the announcement of the measures late Friday that Japan was “deeply concerned” over the move to sanction the entire ICC. In a social media post, she called the U.S. decision “incompatible with” Japan’s position. General Assembly and in a policy address before parliament.
Japan is the largest financial contributor to the ICC. The U.S. is not a state party to the Rome Statute, which founded the ICC in 2002. The Trump administration has unleashed a campaign to dismantle the ICC — though it has put in place a six-month grace period before the latest measures are implemented.
The period is “intended to provide time for States Parties to demonstrate meaningful progress on diplomatic and legal resolutions that address fundamental U.S. concerns regarding the ICC,” according to the State Department.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
