Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Foreign Minister KAMIKAWA Yoko on Monday congratulated AKANE Tomoko on being elected to the position of President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague in the Netherlands.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Kamikawa said, “The Government of Japan will continue to support the development of the ICC and actively contribute to the promotion of the rule of law in the international community. The Government of Japan welcomes the election of ICC Judge AKANE Tomoko of Japan as the President of the Court.”

“The election of Judge Akane as the President, the first Japanese to hold this position, is a sign of the high regard in which she is held for her experience, and it is highly significant. Japan looks forward to her further success as the President in the future.”

Kamikawa added that serious crimes of concern to the international community must not go unpunished, and the role of the ICC has become increasingly important. The ICC President takes on crucial responsibilities for the Court to function effectively as a permanent international criminal tribunal.

Akane has served as a Judge of the ICC since March 2018. She worked in the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office and had previous posts as Director of the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI), Ambassador for International Judicial Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Prosecutor of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office.