ICJ elects Japanese judge as its chief

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced on Monday that a Japanese judge has been elected as its president following the resignation of his predecessor Nawaf Salam in January.

Yuji Iwasawa will serve until 5 February 2027, completing Salam’s term, said the ICJ.

Salam resigned after being appointed as Lebanon’s prime minister by President Joseph Aoun.

Before joining the Court, Iwasawa was a professor of international law at the University of Tokyo and chaired the United Nations Human Rights Committee. He has served as a judge on the ICJ since June 2018.

He is the second Japanese judge to hold the position of ICJ president, according to local media.

Comprising 15 judges elected for nine-year terms, the ICJ settles legal disputes between states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions referred by UN entities.

It is currently hearing a case filed by South Africa against Israel, in which it charges the occupation state of being in violation of the genocide convention during its bombing of the Gaza Strip since October 2023. Iwasawa voted with the majority and ruled that it was plausible that Israel’s actions in Gaza could amount to genocide.

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