Japanese Judge Iwasawa Yuji has been elected as the new president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands. He replaces Nawaf Salam, who resigned in January before completing his term.

The ICJ announced on Monday that Iwasawa was elected by his fellow judges. He has been a judge at the Court since June 22, 2018. Before joining the ICJ, he served as a professor of international law at the University of Tokyo and chaired the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

Iwasawa is the second Japanese national to hold the ICJ presidency, following Hisashi Owada, who led the Court from 2009 to 2012. Speaking to NHK World Japan, he expressed his commitment to strengthening the rule of law and promoting peaceful dispute resolution through the ICJ.

The president and vice-president of the ICJ are elected by the Court’s members every three years via secret ballot. An absolute majority is required for election, and there are no nationality-based conditions. The elected officials may be re-elected for additional terms.

As president, Iwasawa will preside over the Court’s meetings, oversee its operations, and manage administrative matters alongside the Budgetary and Administrative Committee and other internal committees. He also holds the authority to cast a deciding vote in the event of a tie during judicial deliberations.

The International Court of Justice, established in June 1945 under the United Nations Charter, is the UN’s principal judicial organ. It began its activities in April 1946 and consists of 15 judges elected for nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and Security Council. The ICJ primarily settles legal disputes between states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions referred by UN bodies and agencies.