--- title: "Japan ex-minister urges PM to protest US ICC sanctions" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/japan-ex-minister-urges-pm-to-protest-us-icc-sanctions" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/japan-ex-minister-urges-pm-to-protest-us-icc-sanctions" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/japan-ex-minister-urges-pm-to-protest-us-icc-sanctions.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/japan-ex-minister-urges-pm-to-protest-us-icc-sanctions" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-05T04:25:15.803Z" source_reported: "2026-09-04T14:59:20.956Z" updated: "2026-09-05T04:25:15.803Z" trust_score: 64 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 12 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-05T05:30:09.819999+00:00" --- # Japan ex-minister urges PM to protest US ICC sanctions *Gen Nakatani called US sanctions on the International Criminal Court an attack on international order.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 64 of 100, higher is better. Trust 64 – named officials and figures cited, but only AP provides original reporting; other outlets are digests. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95 – clear context, multiple quotes, specific details, next steps, and coherent narrative. - Hype 12 of 100, lower is better. Hype 12 – measured language with no sensationalist framing. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Former Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani urged Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to protest US sanctions on the International Criminal Court and its president, Tomoko Akane. - Nakatani described the US sanctions as an attack on the rules-based international order. - The US imposed sanctions on about a dozen ICC staff members over investigations into Israeli officials in Gaza and US military personnel in Afghanistan. - The sanctions freeze assets in US jurisdictions and bar court officials and their families from entering the US. Former Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani has urged Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to more firmly protest United States sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court and its president, Tomoko Akane. Nakatani, a veteran lawmaker, described the US decision as an attack on the rules-based international order. He plans to submit demands to Takaichi’s top government spokesperson by mid-September. The sanctions were imposed by the US in retaliation for ICC investigations into Israeli officials in Gaza and U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan. The measures freeze any assets held in US jurisdictions and prevent court officials and their families from entering the United States. ## Disagreement on ICC president's response The Associated Press reported that ICC president Tomoko Akane said last month that the sanctions had not intimidated her or affected her work. She called on Japan to work with other ICC members to defend the court and convince Washington not to escalate the situation. None of the other reports mention Akane's response. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports mention that ICC president Tomoko Akane said the sanctions had not intimidated her or affected her work. The right-rated digest also does not mention the specific number of ICC staff members sanctioned by the US, nor does it detail the sanctions' impact on assets and travel. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 86% (6) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 14% (1) 0 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-05T05:30:09.819999+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-05T05:45:19.800Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports led with former Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani urging Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to protest US sanctions on the International Criminal Court and its president, Tomoko Akane. These reports carried Nakatani's description of the sanctions as an "outright attack on the rules-based international order." They also detailed the US rationale for the sanctions, citing investigations into Israeli officials in Gaza and U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan. The Associated Press report, which was a full report, also included comments from ICC president Tomoko Akane stating the sanctions had not intimidated her or affected her work, and her call for Japan to support the ICC. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - The right-rated digest reported that former Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani urged Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to protest US sanctions on the International Criminal Court and its president, Tomoko Akane, calling Washington's decision an "outright attack on the rules-based international." The digest did not include further details on the US rationale for the sanctions or any response from the ICC president. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 4 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Japan Today](https://japantoday.com/category/politics/japan's-former-defense-chief-urges-pm-to-challenge-us-sanctions-on-icc-president) — Former defense minister urges Takaichi to challenge U.S. sanctions on ICC president - [Asahi](https://asahi.com/articles/DA3S16540370.html) — "All They Do Is Pander to Others, and the US Doesn't Even Rate Them Highly," Says Former Defense Minister Nakatani Regarding Sanctions Against ICC Director Akane: Asahi Shimbun - [Los Angeles Times](https://latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-09-04/japans-former-defense-chief-urges-pm-to-challenge-u-s-sanctions-on-icc-president) — Japan's former defense chief urges prime minister to challenge U.S. sanctions on ICC president - [The Washington Post](https://washingtonpost.com/world/2026/09/04/japan-icc-us-sanctions/af450718-a86e-11f1-9e38-f705d048bd5a_story.html) — Japan's former defense chief urges PM to challenge US sanctions on ICC president - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/asia/japan-s-former-defense-chief-urges-pm-to-challenge-us-sanctions-on-icc-president/article_ea9ac195-2184-5105-89a0-8c307aa916a5.html) — Security Check - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/japan-icc-us-sanctions-c6671e173c12c3ecd444c46ed06920c6) — Japan's former defense chief urges PM to challenge US sanctions on ICC president - [CT Insider](https://ctinsider.com/news/world/article/japan-s-former-defense-chief-urges-pm-to-22417667.php) — Japan's former defense chief urges PM to challenge US sanctions on ICC president ## Questions **Why did the US impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court?** The United States imposed sanctions on about a dozen International Criminal Court staff members in retaliation for ICC investigations into Israeli officials in Gaza and U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan. The sanctions freeze any assets held in U.S. jurisdictions and bar court officials and their families from entering the United States. **What did Japan's former defense minister say about the sanctions?** Former Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani described the US decision to sanction the International Criminal Court and its president as an outright attack on the rules-based international order. He urged Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to protest more firmly and demand that the US withdraw the measures. **Did the ICC president respond to the sanctions?** According to the Associated Press, ICC president Tomoko Akane said the sanctions have not intimidated her or affected her work. She called on Japan to work with other ICC members to defend the court and convince Washington not to further escalate the situation. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/japan-ex-minister-urges-pm-to-protest-us-icc-sanctions. 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