United News of Bangladesh

Japan on Friday condemned Russia's requests to extradite International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and eight other court officials based in the Netherlands. The requests followed Moscow's issuance of arrest warrants for the nine officials in response to the ICC's 2023 warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. Last year, the Moscow City Court sentenced all nine to prison terms in absentia. Japan has formally protested the extradition requests, a senior government official said on Friday. “Measures targeting individuals connected to the ICC are unjust and unacceptable,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki told reporters. He also expressed regret that Russia had submitted extradition requests to several countries. Ozaki said Tokyo would “respond appropriately, including lodging additional protests.” His remarks came a day after Russia's Prosecutor General's Office submitted requests to the Netherlands and several other countries seeking the extradition of the nine ICC officials, including Akane. According to Russia's state news agency Tass, Moscow accused the ICC of issuing arrest warrants against Russian citizens without evidence and in violation of fundamental principles and norms of international law. Relations between Japan and Russia have deteriorated since Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a disputed Pacific island chain in August. The Soviet Union seized the islands from Japan in the final days of World War II. The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their wartime hostilities. Japan has also faced challenges in balancing its support for the ICC with its close relationship with the United States, which opposes the court. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has faced domestic criticism over the challenge of maintaining close ties with Washington while supporting the Netherlands-based international court. “We have consistently supported the ICC and will continue to do so,” Takaichi told a parliamentary session on Friday. Washington has accused the ICC of exceeding its authority and imposed sanctions on Akane and around a dozen other court officials in retaliation for investigations into Israeli officials over the war in the Gaza Strip and inquiries into the conduct of US military personnel in Afghanistan. The US sanctions freeze any assets held by the targeted individuals within US jurisdiction and bar the affected officials and their family members from entering the country.