Petition Demands US Lift Sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane
Tokyo Lawyers Deliver 170,000 Signatures to Government
A group of lawyers who studied under International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane has submitted a petition signed by over 170,000 people to the Japanese government on October 2, 2026, demanding official action to lift U.S. sanctions against her. The petition was handed to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki in Tokyo by representatives who studied under Akane during her tenure as a professor at Nagoya University’s School of Law.
While the petition asks Tokyo to use its diplomatic ties with Washington to safeguard the ICC's independence, the underlying U.S. sanctions stem from a Trump administration executive order targeting ICC officials for alleged targeting of US and Israeli officials. That order faces ongoing legal challenges in U.S. federal court, where a judge recently ruled that there is a “strong likelihood” the order violated free speech rights.
Japan Supports ICC Independence Amid US Executive Order
During the submission meeting, lawyer Yosuke Shamoto stated that Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Ozaki informed the delegation that the government had already clearly conveyed its support for the ICC to Washington. Kentaro Uematsu, representing the alumni lawyer group, emphasized to reporters that Japan maintains a relationship of trust with the United States and can utilize that position to protect the court’s institutional independence.
The online petition campaign gathered the 170,000 signatures in about a month. Meanwhile, the U.S. executive order issued in February 2025 is the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by Matthew Smith, CEO of the human rights group Fortify Rights, and international human rights lawyer Akila Radhakrishnan. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. ruled that the challenge to the sanctions can proceed, finding it plausible that the directive burdens substantially more speech than necessary to achieve its stated goal of protecting U.S. sovereignty.
Next Steps in Tokyo and Washington
The Japanese government has not announced any additional diplomatic measures beyond the communications already transmitted to Washington regarding its backing of the international tribunal. In the United States, the litigation brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of human rights advocates continues following the district court’s denial of government dismissal motions, leaving both the diplomatic pressure in Tokyo and the constitutional challenge in Maine active.