World Court elects Japanese Judge Iwasawa Yuji as new President

Japanese Judge Iwasawa Yuji has been elected as the new President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, Netherlands. He will succeed former ICJ President Nawaf Salam, who resigned in January before his term expired.

On Monday, the ICJ announced on Monday that Iwasawa Yuji had been elected as President of the Court by his fellow judges. President Iwasawa has been a Judge of the Court since June 22, 2018.

Before joining the Court, President Iwasawa was a Professor of International Law at the University of Tokyo & Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Committee. He became the second Japanese national to have taken the Court’s top post, following Hisashi Owada, a former Japanese judge who served as the President of the ICJ from 2009 to 2012.

Speaking to NHK World Japan, Iwasawa said that he wants to contribute to the ICJ’s efforts to promote the rule of law & peaceful solutions to disputes. The President & Vice-President of ICJ are elected by the members of the Court every three years by secret ballot.

An absolute majority is required, & there are no conditions of nationality. The President & Vice-President may be re-elected. The President leads all meetings of the Court, overseeing its operations & administration with the help of a Budgetary & Administrative Committee, as well as other committees made up of Court members.

In the case of a tie during judicial deliberations, the President has the authority to cast a deciding vote. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945 & began its activities in April 1946.

The Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly & the Security Council of the United Nations.

The Court has a twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorised United Nations organs & agencies of the system. 

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