Japan signs international court treaty

THE HAGUE (AP) Japan on Tuesday ratified the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, the world's first global war crimes court announced.

Ambassador to the U.N. Kenzo Oshima presents Japan's instrument of accession to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to Annebeth Rosenboom, head of the U.N. Legal Affairs Treaty Section Office, Tuesday at U.N. headquarters. AP PHOTO

The move makes Japan the 105th country to ratify the Rome Treaty and gives the Hague-based court a new strong financial supporter. Tokyo has pledged to pay 19 percent of the court's annual budget of about 90 million euro, or $ 124 million, said the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, a nongovernment group that supports the court's work.

"Japan's ratification is a major endorsement of the ICC and the new system of international criminal justice established by the Rome Statute," said William Pace, convener of the coalition. "Japan is an important world power; we hope its decision will press other major powers and more Asian states to join the ICC."

Among the countries that have not ratified the treaty is the U.S., which fears Americans could be unfairly prosecuted for political reasons.

Osamu Nikura of the Japanese Network for the ICC said Tokyo wants to be involved in the court's work.

"As the one and only country that has suffered the devastation of a full-fledged nuclear attack, we believe it is time that our country plays an active role in the promotion of peace and human rights in the world," Nikura said in a statement.

Japan will formally join the court Oct. 1, the court said in a brief statement.

Established five years ago, the court has yet to stage a trial.

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