Tokyo calls US sanctions on Japanese chief of ICC 'extremely regrettable'

Tokyo on Wednesday described the US sanctions on Japanese chief of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as "extremely regrettable," Kyodo News reported.

Japan's reaction came a day after the US imposed sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane and official Abdoulaye Seye.

Akane, a Japanese national who has served as ICC president since 2024, and Seye, a Senegalese national, were added to the US Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals List, according to the department's website.

The listing blocks any US assets held by Akane and Seye, and bars Americans and entities from engaging in transactions with them.

The move comes as Washington has intensified pressure on the court since the ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.