The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced on Monday that Yuji Iwasawa, a judge from Japan, has been elected as its new president.
His election follows the resignation of his predecessor, Nawaf Salam, in January.
Iwasawa will serve as president until February 5, 2027, completing Salam’s term. Salam resigned after being appointed as Lebanon’s prime minister by President Joseph Aoun.
Before joining the ICJ, Iwasawa was a professor of international law at the University of Tokyo and chaired the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
He has been serving as an ICJ judge since June 2018. Iwasawa is only the second Japanese judge to hold the position of ICJ president.
The ICJ, made up of 15 judges elected for nine-year terms, resolves legal disputes between states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions referred by UN entities.
Currently, the ICJ is hearing a case filed by South Africa against Israel, accusing the state of violating the Genocide Convention during its bombing of Gaza since October 2023.
Iwasawa voted with the majority, ruling that Israel’s actions in Gaza could potentially amount to genocide.
