国際刑事裁判所（ICC）報告書における川村大使ステートメント

令和元年11月4日

(As delivered)

Mr. President,

I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation to President Chile Eboe-Osuji for his dedication and leadership, as well as for his briefing on the comprehensive report on the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Japan is committed to the fight against impunity and attaches great significance to the promotion of the rule of law. Therefore, Japan has consistently supported the ICC since its inception. My government’s longstanding policy is to help enable the ICC to function effectively and sustainably with the support of the international community. Besides being the ICC's largest financial contributor, we are also dedicated to supporting the Court as a Bureau member as well as through qualified human resources.

Mr. President,

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. The Conventions were a great step toward a more humane world, yet today we still see cruelty in conflicts on a large scale. We believe that accountability is the key to a better world. In that sense, we believe that the ICC is an ambitious attempt to bring justice and to ensure no one is left behind.

Any institution goes through its ups and downs. The ICC is no exception. 17 years have passed since its foundation, and it is time for the States Parties to reaffirm our responsibilities as stakeholders. Reform of the ICC is very important for the Court to achieve its core mandate. The States Parties need to remain engaged in constructive discussions over how we can strengthen the Court. The States Parties are in the driver’s seat of the reform and the ICC’s future is in our hands. Japan is committed to active engagement on ICC reform and the strengthening of the Court.

Let me stress three important points regarding the strengthening of the Court, namely universality, steadiness and complementarity.

To the first of these, we are stronger together. To ensure that the ICC effectively promotes the rule of law around the world, more countries should join the ICC. In the long run, the ICC should aim at becoming a truly universal criminal court. We call on states who have not yet become States Parties to do so. As States Parties, we need to continue engaging with non-States Parties and emphasizing the irreplaceable value of the Rome Statute system in the fight against impunity.

In this context, we would like to emphasize that it is necessary to take a step-by-step approach to win the understanding and cooperation from a greater number of States. The ICC is still a relatively young organization and hastily seeking for achievements would jeopardize our efforts to fight against impunity.. Japan believes that the most important thing is that the ICC continues its effort consistently and makes steady progress.

Now to the final point, complementarity. The role of the ICC is to complement national criminal jurisdictions. The existence of the Court does not lessen the importance of national jurisdiction in the prosecution of serious crimes. Enshrining this principle in the Court’s activities will also help improve the universality of the Court.

Japan believes that by paying attention to the feasibility of investigations and the principle of complementarity, and by appropriately prioritizing issues, the Office of the Prosecutor can most effectively utilize its resources and achieve its core mandate.

In conclusion, we hope that the ICC will continue to work diligently in the fight against impunity, while consolidating its credibility. Japan will continue to strongly support the ICC’s work.

I thank you very much.　