In mid-July, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a sweeping campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court. Unprecedented in scope and potential impact, the campaign aims to “systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate.”

One of the latest targets is a Japanese national, Judge Tomoko Akane, president of the ICC, who was sanctioned by the U.S. government on Aug. 18. As this newspaper reported, Akane was sanctioned along with senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye by the Trump administration, which called the ICC a “corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority.”

Not only is the campaign a direct assault on the framework of international law, but it also poses a challenge for the Japan-U.S. relationship. At a time when relations are being constantly tested by economic and trade tensions and security pressures, the campaign by the U.S. against the ICC could lead to another frontier emerging.