As the United States mounts a campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC) Japanese officials have renewed support for its operation.The ICC, which was established following a proposal by Trinidad and Tobago’s former Prime Minister and former President Arthur NR Robinson, is a permanent international tribunal that prosecutes individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. It was established in 2002 and is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, it was established in 2002.During an official visit by Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to Port of Spain last Friday, Director General for Press and Public Diplomacy of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Toshihiro Kitamura said despite states’ differing views on the importance of the Court, it currently plays a very important role in maintaining international order.At the Trinidad Hilton on Friday, Kitamura was asked if Japan held any position on the potential dismantling of the court. Noting that its current president, Tomoko Akane, elected in 2024, is a Japanese female, he said:“We had a very strong commitment to support ICC in its operation. We also maintain close discussion, communication with the US government, but at the same time, we always say to other countries that the role of ICC is very important to maintain the international order.”Trinidad and Tobago’s ties to the ICC date back to Robinson’s proposed permanent international court at the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. This country was among the earliest countries to ratify the Rome Statute that established the body.As the country continues to align itself and reaffirm bilateral ties with the United States, local figures have urged against any potential exit, even as its closest neighbour, Venezuela, recently announced its official withdrawal.In mid-July, US State Secretary Marco Rubio announced what the US State Department referred to as a “sweeping campaign” to dismantle a threat to US Sovereignty that it claims is posed by the Court. A release noted a whole of government response to systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate, target American servicemen or threaten American sovereignty.“The ICC poses an intolerable threat to US sovereignty – it claims the authority to prosecute and even imprison American servicemen and officials operating on behalf of America’s national interest. Americans never signed up for this, and all American presidents since the ICC’s ratification have maintained that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Americans. The ICC previously opened an investigation into US servicemen and intelligence officers and has since refused to close these cases,” it stated then.Actions under consideration included diplomatic calls from Rubio, ambassadors and other senior leaders of foreign nations to highlight what it said were abuses from the ICC, the US State Department added.It further called on nations that partner with American law enforcement and the US military to reject the ICC’s purported authority to prosecute American officials and servicemen.Trinidad and Tobago recently joined the US-led Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (ACCC) and the US Southern Command’s Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) with a focus on countering drug cartels, and regional disaster responses.