Tomoko Akane: ''Putin cannot escape justice for crimes in Ukraine''

The International Criminal Court's newly elected president has expressed strong conviction that Russian President Vladimir Putin, against whom the Hague-based body issued an arrest warrant last year, will be brought to justice for his war crimes in Ukraine. Speaking in a recent exclusive interview with Kyodo News, Tomoko Akane quoted a Chinese proverb -- "Heaven's vengeance is slow but sure" -- to indicate that Putin will eventually get what he deserves. Akane, in noting that "there have been no cases resulting in arrests over the past two years," acknowledged the challenges faced by the ICC. As fighting continues in Ukraine as well as between Israel and the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip, "there are many cases that require a response," she said.