Japanese judge to head UN's top court

Japanese judge Hisashi Owada has been elected president of the International Court of Justice, the highest judicial organ of the United Nations, the tribunal said on Friday. The 76-year-old will replace retiring British judge Rosalyn Higgins. "Judge Hisashi Owada was today elected President of the International Court of Justice by his peers," said a court statement.
Judge Peter Tomka, 52, of Slovakia will become vice-president, replacing Jordanian Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh. The terms of Owada and Tomka, both judges at the court since February 2003, will run for three years. Owada, a former Japanese deputy foreign minister, held the position of ambassador to the UN from 1994 to 1998, during which time he served twice as president of the UN Security Council. He has taught law at a variety of universities, including Harvard Law School. The ICJ is made up of 15 judges who rule on disputes between states.