The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Tomoko Akane, the first Japanese national to head the International Criminal Court, with President Donald Trump's administration accusing The Hague-based judicial body of encroaching on state sovereignty.
Marking yet another escalation in the administration's campaign to dismantle the ICC, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that it is a "corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate."
In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the measure by the United States "very unfortunate," saying her government will deal with the situation by "continuing communication with relevant nations including the United States."
Along with Akane, a former prosecutor from Japan who began her three-year term as ICC president in 2024, the United States sanctioned Senegal's Abdoulaye Seye, a senior trial lawyer at the court.
Adding Akane and Seye to the list of ICC officials sanctioned by the United States, Rubio claimed the two have been involved in the court's efforts to investigate, arrest or prosecute officials whose governments have not consented to its jurisdiction.
The Trump administration has strongly objected to ICC probes into alleged war crimes committed by U.S. military personnel, urging other countries to join its campaign.
The ICC denounced the new U.S. sanctions, saying they "undermine the rule of law."
Reaffirming its commitment to independence and impartiality, the court said in a statement that it "remains undeterred and stands firmly behind its personnel and behind victims of unimaginable atrocities."
Rubio, meanwhile, said the administration "stands ready to take additional measures, if necessary, to systematically dismantle the ICC until it is incapable of threatening American sovereignty."
The ICC has 18 judges, including Akane. With the latest imposition, the United States has sanctioned nine of them.
The punitive measures include freezing any assets that the targeted ICC officials possess in the United States and restricting their access to the U.S. financial system.
The United States is not a member of the court, founded in 2002 in the Netherlands, and does not recognize its jurisdiction over U.S. nationals.
The ICC, which has 125 member states, is the only permanent international court with the power to prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes and crimes against peace and humanity.
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen wrote on social media that the Netherlands "disapproves" of the sanctions and "fully support the court and its staff."
Berendsen added that he has invited Akane to discuss the Netherlands' continued backing.
In February 2025, Trump signed an executive order targeting the court, alleging it had engaged in "illegitimate and baseless actions" against the United States and its close ally Israel, which is also not an ICC member.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu has denied the allegations, accusing the court of antisemitism.
