TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government said Wednesday it is considering what financial assistance it can provide to support the International Criminal Court hit with sanctions by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

It comes as ICC president and Japanese national Tomoko Akane urged U.N. member states to "take concrete action" in defense of the court in a pre-recorded video message Monday to the U.N. General Assembly in New York, in which she presented the Hague-based war crimes tribunal's annual report on its activities after a U.S. travel ban prevented her from attending in person.

In a speech that followed, Tomohiro Mikanagi, Japanese deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the assembly that Japan, as a leading financial contributor, will continue to support the ICC in fulfilling its mandate and work with other countries to strengthen such support.

Asked how Japan will respond, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a regular press conference Wednesday that the government is "considering what financial measures we can take, while continuing to communicate" with Akane and other relevant countries.

Japan has "consistently supported the ICC to ensure the rule of law, and we intend to continue doing so," Kihara said.

The Japanese government has expressed deep concerns over U.S. sanctions on the ICC president as well as the court itself, calling them "incompatible" with the country's position.

Akane, the first Japanese national to serve as president of the court, was sanctioned in August along with other ICC officials, with her U.S. assets frozen and her entry into the country barred.

In October, Washington imposed sanctions on the ICC itself. The Trump administration has accused the court of encroaching on state sovereignty.