On Thursday, November 27, and Friday, November 28, the ICC Asia-Pacific Academic Forum was held at the Keio University Mita Campus. This forum was the first attempt to bring together 10 universities from the Asia-Pacific region that have established partnerships with the International Criminal Court (ICC) through Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), marking a significant step toward strengthening regional cooperation in international criminal justice.
Since 2004, Keio University and the ICC have engaged in research and educational exchanges, primarily through the Faculty of Law, the Graduate School of Law, and the Law School. These years of exchange culminated in the signing of an MoU in June 2024. While Japan is the largest financial contributor to the ICC, there is an imbalance in the current situation, with very few Japanese staff and interns at the ICC. This MoU was signed with the expectation that providing internship opportunities to talented individuals from Japanese universities, particularly Keio University, will resolve this imbalance and lead to expanded opportunities for more Japanese people to play active roles in international criminal justice and international organizations in the future.
At the forum, universities from the Asia-Pacific region currently collaborating with the ICC gathered in person to discuss the promotion of academic understanding of the ICC and the path for future academic cooperation in the region. At the opening session on the 27th, ICC Director Tomoko Akane sent a video message. Additionally, Jean-Eric Paquet, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the European Union (EU) to Japan; Hilce Bessho-Ploeg, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Japan; Christian Mahr, ICC External Relations Officer; Kohei Itoh, President of Keio University; and Professor Philipp Osten of the Keio University Faculty of Law took the stage. They spoke about the importance of this framework, which plays a part in international justice across national and regional borders, amidst the critical situations currently facing the ICC. President Itoh also touched upon Director Akane's lecture given to Keio University students last year, emphasizing the importance of academia's pursuit of truth and support for the ICC.
It is expected that this open platform for academic exchange will facilitate dialogue regarding the mission of the International Criminal Court and strengthen regional engagement toward the development of international criminal justice.
Participating Universities
Keio University, Doshisha University, Kyoto University, Hitotsubashi University, Utsunomiya University, Seoul National University, Korea University, Ewha Womans University, Yonsei University, National University of Mongolia