the news now

The world's news, cross-checked among reputable sources.

This is a new development in a story we have covered before · earlier coverage

Japanese Foreign Minister Discusses Support for ICC President Following U.S. Sanctions

evening · · thread: Chad Announces Withdrawal from International Criminal Court

2 sources · Japan

Who reported this

  • Asahi Shimbun Japan · Centre-left · Asahi Shimbun Company (family and employee held)
  • Kyodo News Japan · Centre · Non-profit publisher cooperative

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Every source for this story reports from Japan.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi held phone talks on Friday with International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane to discuss possible Japanese support after she was targeted by U.S. sanctions. Akane, the first Japanese citizen to head the Hague based court, requested the discussions. According to a source familiar with the talks, Motegi asked what support she may need.

The sanctions were imposed by the administration of President Donald Trump, which has accused the ICC of encroaching on state sovereignty. The U.S. has taken a hostile stance toward the court due to investigations into alleged war crimes by U.S. service members. Akane is one of nine ICC judges targeted by these measures, which freeze assets in the United States, bar entry into the country, and cut off access to the U.S. financial system.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that the sanctions are incompatible with Japan's position of placing importance on the rule of law. The United Nations and European countries have also condemned the sanctions.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
The center-left framing emphasizes that this was the first time the two officials spoke since the sanctions designation.
Centre
The center framing focuses on the diplomatic details of the support discussion and the specific nature of the U.S. sanctions.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.