Japan is expected to ratify the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ratification with the United Nations coincides with World Justice Day, marking the anniversary of the opening of the Rome treaty on July 17, 1998. Japan will also become the Courts largest donor by contributing 19 percent of its annual budget. Asian countries, including China and India, have largely skirted the ICC and the ratification by Japan is seen as an important movement for the region. Japan has also nominated a judge to the court for its December elections. Japanese officials are also petitioning the ICC to include the use of nuclear weapons as a crime against humanity. Tadashi Inuzuka, a Japanese senator, noted that in the millions of records of post-WWII tribunals – which includes the Nuremberg trials – there is no mention of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.
