Takaichi Says She Told Trump of Japan's Support for ICC

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Friday that she affirmed Tokyo's support for the International Criminal Court during her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday.

In talks with reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Takaichi said she told the U.S. leader that Japan "has consistently supported and will continue to support" the ICC.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will communicate on the issue of The Hague-based organization, according to Takaichi.

"We recognize that the United States' distrust of the ICC is very strong and that its stance (over the court) is very tough," she said while vowing to continue lobbying other countries for the survival of the organization.

Aiming to dismantle the ICC, the Trump administration has designated executives of the court, including President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, as targets for sanctions.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]