As Japan's first judge on the International Criminal Court, Fumiko Saiga hopes to use her expertise in international law as well as human and gender rights to pursue a world governed by rule of law.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2007/nn20071225f1a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='328'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Fumiko Saiga, Japan's first judge on the International Criminal Court, gives an interview in Tokyo. </B> YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>Set up in 2002, the ICC is the first permanent international court to try people accused of the most serious crimes of global concern, including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Saiga, 64, was elected in November to serve as a judge at the ICC in The Hague until March 2009. 'The ultimate goal of the ICC is to eradicate serious crimes from the world and let the world –

governed by the rule of law," she said in a recent interview.

Saiga, a career diplomat, has served as ambassador in charge of human rights and a member of the U.N. Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

"The significance of the creation of the ICC is that we have a permanent institution that doesn't allow 'a culture of impunity' to prevail in any part of the world," she said. "Those (who) commit serious crimes will be tried and will not be able to get away with what they have done."

So far, four cases have been filed with the ICC, including one dealing with Darfur, Sudan. The court issued arrest warrants for Ahmad Harun, Sudan's humanitarian affairs minister, and Ali Kushayb, a militia leader, for their alleged role in killing about 1,000 civilians in western Darfur between 2003 and 2004.