PHL to support Japanese judge’s reelection to Int’l Court of Justice —Locsin

The Philippines will “fully and unconditionally” support the reelection bid of Japan’s Yuji Iwasawa as a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. said Thursday.

The top diplomat made the announcement at the opening ceremony of the 7th Biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law in Quezon City, where Iwasawa was the guest of honor.

The Philippines “is fully and unconditionally supporting his re-election to the International Court of Justice in the elections to be held next year,” Locsin said during his speech.

“We do not seek any quid pro quo for our vote; because we are casting it for the best of the interest of the world — and therefore of our country,” he added.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Japanese international law professor is the first sitting justice of the ICJ to visit the Philippines.

The judge, however, has made several trips to Manila back when he was the vice president of the Asian Development Bank Administrative Tribunal.

The Biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law, said to be the biggest international law event in the region, is a gathering of participants from all over the world, including members of international tribunals, international law experts, government officials, lawyers and scholars, who share the common interest of advancing the development of international law in Asia and the world.

Its theme this year was “finding common solutions to contemporary civilizational issues from an Asian perspective.” — MDM, GMA News