Japan becomes the first country to join the ICC Junior Professional Officers Programme

Today, 25 January 2016, the Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Herman von Hebel, and the Director-General of International Legal Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Ms Naoko Saiki, signed an agreement making Japan the first country to participate in the ICC Junior Professional Officers programme.

The programme encourages junior professional officers, usually with an academic degree and limited professional experience, to acquire hands-on work experience under the close direction/supervision of Court officials and senior staff. The junior officers will be sponsored by their respective governments and recruited under a bilateral agreement between a donor country and the Court.