TOKYO (AP) — Japan on Friday slammed Russia's request for the extradition from the Netherlands of the president of the International Criminal Court, a Japanese national, and eight other officials of the court based in the European country.
The extradition requests came after Moscow issued warrants for the nine in response to the ICC’s 2023 arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. The Moscow City Court last year sentenced the nine in absentia to prison terms.
A high-ranking Japanese official said Friday that Tokyo has expressed its protest to Moscow over the requests.
“Measures targeting individuals connected to the ICC are unjust and unacceptable,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki told reporters. “We regret that Russia made extradition requests to multiple countries nevertheless.”
Ozaki said Japan would “respond appropriately, including lodging additional protests.”
His comments came after Russia's Prosecutor General's Office on Thursday submitted requests to the Netherlands and a number of other countries for the extradition of the nine ICC staff, including its president, Tomoko Akane.
Moscow has accused the ICC of issuing arrest warrants against Russian citizens in violation of fundamental principles and norms of international law without any evidence, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.
Relations between Japan and Russia have worsened since Putin visited a Pacific Island chain claimed by Japan in August. The Soviet Union captured the islands from Japan in the final days of World War II, leading to the dispute that has kept the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.
Japan has also struggled to balance its support for the ICC and ties with the United States, which does not support the court.
Also, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been criticized at home, including for balancing her close alliance with the U.S. with Japan's backing of the Netherlands-based court.
”We have consistently supported the ICC and will continue to do so,” Takaichi told a parliamentary session Friday.
Washington has accused the ICC of overstepping its mandate and has imposed sanctions on Akane and about a dozen other court staffers in retaliation for investigations into Israeli officials over the war in the Gaza Strip and probes into the conduct of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.
The U.S. measures freeze any assets held in U.S. jurisdictions by those sanctioned and prevent court officials and their families from entering the U.S.
FILE - Judge Tomoko Akane walks before delivering the verdict in the Al Hassan case at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday Nov. 20, 2024. (Eva Plevier/Pool Photo via AP, file)
George Russell needs to throw everything he can at stopping — or even just delaying — Kimi Antonelli’s march to the Formula 1 title. That won’t be easy from the back of the grid at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Russell was third, with Mercedes teammate Antonelli ahead of him in second, when his power unit suddenly failed Sunday during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, leaving him with a penalty this week for an engine change.
After that, this week it's "all-out attack, just trying to enjoy the weekend," Russell said Thursday. "Obviously not an ideal situation, but Singapore is a place I love and I’ll try and carve my way through the pack.”
He made a good start Friday by setting the fastest time in practice.
With the final sprint race of the season Saturday, Russell and his rivals will have an unusual daylight race on the streets of the southeast Asian city state, before the typical night race Sunday. Qualifying for the sprint race is later Friday.
Russell said Singapore was “probably the second-bottom of the list” in terms of the ease of fighting back after a penalty and predicted he may need to serve another for an engine change before the season is over.
It's a big contrast with the last time Antonelli had to serve a penalty. Mercedes changed his engine for the Italian Grand Prix in a planned move, calculating that overtaking was easy enough at Monza that he could limit the damage. He did far more than that and took a statement victory in his home race.
With only one practice session because of the sprint, Russell went fastest by 0.198 of a second from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Lando Norris third-fastest for McLaren, .298 off the pace.
Leclerc's teammate Lewis Hamilton was fourth, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri fifth and last week's winner Max Verstappen sixth for Red Bull.
Antonelli was seventh fastest, though his time was set on the slower medium tires. He went off-track into a runoff area late in the session.
Antonelli finished second behind Verstappen in Malaysia for his sixth podium finish in the last seven races, moving him 84 points clear of Russell in the standings.
With 33 points on offer across Singapore's sprint race and Grand Prix, if Antonelli scores 16 points more than Russell this week, he'd have a shot at sealing the title at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 25.
Norris may have a fix for his McLaren's straight-line speed problem, but this weekend could still spell the end of his title defense if Antonelli outscores the McLaren driver by 18 points. Leclerc and Verstappen could also be eliminated from contention.
Singapore is always a tough test for drivers because of the heat and humidity. This week, add in a haze of air pollution from forest fires in nearby Indonesia, too.
The haze was present last week in Malaysia, too. Singapore organizers said Friday they are monitoring the conditions but there are “currently no plans to modify our entertainment activities” around the race.
Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas has plenty of first-hand experience of the local conditions after cycling from Sepang to Singapore this week.
There's also a chance of rain affecting the action on Saturday and Sunday. Not only is a wet street track a tricky proposition, but there's extra scrutiny on the cars after a software bug on a wet track caused the start to be delayed in Malaysia.
The FIA says the software fix rushed out for Sunday's race is ready for use again in Singapore and a new version is coming for the United States Grand Prix.
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Britain's George Russell steers his Mercedes at pit line during the first free practice ahead of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, in Singapore, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Mercedes driver George Russell, of Britain, sits on his car at pits before the first free practice ahead of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, in Singapore, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Workers pose for photos during a hazy day ahead of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A gardener waters plants during a hazy day ahead of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy reacts during an interview ahead of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain adjust his cap at the paddock ahead of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
