国際刑事裁判所（ICC）ローマ規程発効20周年に関する安保理アリア・フォーミュラ会合における石兼大使ステートメント
令和4年6月24日
Madame. President,
Japan is glad to co-sponsor today’s Arria-Formula Meeting on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Rome Statute, and appreciates the leadership of Ireland in organizing it. Japan aligns itself with the statement delivered by Mexico on behalf of the Members and incoming Members of the Security Council that are States Parties to the Rome Statute, including Japan.
Japan has historically been and will continue to be committed to fighting against impunity and promoting the rule of law. Japan views positively the progress made by the ICC over the past 20 years since the entry into force of the Rome Statute and will remain a staunch supporter of the ICC.
We cannot stress enough the importance of the cooperative relationship between the ICC, the only permanent international criminal tribunal in the world, and the Security Council, the primary UN organ responsible for maintaining international peace and security with the ability to refer situations to the ICC Prosecutor.
Madame. President,
Japan shares the concern over the use or threat of use of the veto by the permanent members of the Security Council in situations that prevent the Council from fully utilizing its ability to maintain international peace and security. In this regard, Japan reaffirms its support for important veto-related initiatives, such as the French-Mexican Political Declaration on Suspension of Veto Powers in Cases of Mass Atrocity as well as the Code of Conduct proposed by the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group. Japan also welcomes the recent adoption of the General Assembly resolution A/Res/76/262 to establish a standing mandate for a GA debate when a veto is cast.
Japan has referred the situation in Ukraine to the ICC Prosecutor on March 9. Our heart goes out to all the victims and survivors of unprovoked aggression by Russia, including children, women, journalists, and medical and humanitarian personnel, who should never have been targeted in the first place. I repeat, who should never have been targeted in the first place. We need to heed this simple and crystal clear principle. There is no smokescreen as someone mentioned earlier. Japan closely follows the ongoing investigation by Prosecutor Khan and appreciates the steps he has taken thus far.
Madame. President,
In light of countless situations that give rise to our grave concerns, we cannot stress enough the importance of the ICC and the need for cooperation between the ICC and the Security Council. To conclude, I would like to reiterate Japan’s firm commitment to continue supporting the ICC with a strong hope that it will further mature as an effective and universal organ in charge of accountability for atrocity crimes around the world.
Thank you.