By Sakura Murakami | Updated on Oct 09, 2026 at 04:12 AM
A senior Japanese government spokesperson said it was regrettable that the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office had requested that Dutch authorities extradite International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and eight other officials.
“Time and again we have conveyed to the Russian side that measures targeting individuals connected to the ICC are unfair and unacceptable. We find it regrettable that the Russian side has nevertheless requested various nations to extradite these individuals,” Japan’s Deputy Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said at a regular news conference Friday morning.
“We hope to take the appropriate path of action, including issuing further protests against the Russian side regarding this unjust measure, based on continued communication with the ICC and other signatories,” Ozaki added.
Akane is on Russia’s wanted list, along with other ICC officials, over the court’s 2023 arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on allegations of war crimes in Ukraine. She and other ICC members were tried in absentia and sentenced to prison terms by a Moscow court in 2025.
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The latest development comes amid increasing pressure on the ICC from countries including Russia and the US, raising questions about how Japan will support the court as its closest ally works to dismantle the institution.
Akane has also been sanctioned by the US following accusations that it has unfairly targeted the US and Israel in the wake of its investigation into the conflict in Gaza. The incident represented a rare public point of friction between Japan and the US, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi initially came under fire for not condemning the action beyond calling it “regrettable.”
Read more: Takaichi Says Japan Will ‘Protect’ ICC From US Pressure
She has since taken the issue up with US President Donald Trump himself in a meeting held in September.
“We have consistently supported the ICC in accordance with our efforts to uphold the rule of law, and we will continue to do so,” Takaichi said during a parliamentary session held Friday morning.
Read more: US Sanctions ICC President and Vows to ‘Dismantle’ Court