Japan is watching with concern a U.S. campaign to disable the International Criminal Court's operations, the top government spokesman said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara made the remarks at a regular press conference on Tuesday.
Kihara said Japan, the court's largest financial contributor, places great importance on the eradication of serious crimes and the rule of law. Japan has consistently supported the ICC as a permanent international criminal tribunal, he added.
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat he said the ICC poses to U.S. sovereignty. No diplomatic option will be off-limits, including urging member countries to withdraw and stepping up sanctions.
The ICC's current president is Japanese, Tomoko Akane. The United States is a non-member and has criticized the court for investigating U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan and issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
