Defense & Security

Japan Foreign Min. Kamikawa Meets with ICJ President

Reuters file photo
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa attends a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, January 9, 2024.

Jiji Press

12:25 JST, January 12, 2024

Tokyo, Jan. 11 (Jiji Press)—Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met with International Court of Justice President Joan Donoghue at the court in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Thursday.

Kamikawa conveyed Japan’s support for the role of the ICJ, and the two leaders confirmed they will cooperate to promote the rule of law, according to the Foreign Ministry.

“We must aim for an international community in which international law is faithfully observed,” Kamikawa told reporters online on Thursday after the meeting.

She said she will call on other countries to accept the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction so that the rule of law will be protected. A state that accepts the compulsory jurisdiction is obliged to respond to a complaint from another state.

Kamikawa also explained Japanese plans to strengthen human resources development in the field of international law and support for the development of legal systems in Asian and African countries.

She later met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot.