Fumiko Saiga, Japanese ambassador in charge of human rights and a member of the U.N. Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, was elected Friday to fill one of three vacant judge seats on the International Criminal Court.
Saiga, the first Japanese to take that post, received 82 votes, which is more than the two-thirds majority required from the 105 countries eligible to cast secret ballots.
Saiga is a prominent Japanese diplomat who has extensive experience working with the international body. She has held several key posts, from consul general in Seattle to an ambassador post at the Japanese mission in New York and Japanese ambassador to Norway and Iceland.