FACT CHECK: No motion filed by Japan, US for Duterte ICC release

Claim: Japan and the United States (US) have formally filed a motion before an international body seeking the release of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim appeared on a Facebook page posing as a news outlet with 51,000 followers. As of writing, the post has 1,700 likes, 534 comments, and 234 shares.

Text overlaid on the photo reads: “Japan-US nagmotion na? Agarang pagpapalaya kay PRRD sinampa na?”

(Japan and the US have already filed a motion? Has a petition for the immediate release of [former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte] been submitted?)

In its caption, the post claimed that a major global development had occurred, with a Japanese researcher linked to the International Career Support Association (ICSA) raising calls to “Free Duterte now” before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

It further suggested that Japan had issued a strong ultimatum and claimed that Duterte could be transferred to Tokyo. The post also included a link that purportedly led to an article supporting these claims.

The facts: Japan and the US have not filed any motion seeking the release of Duterte from ICC custody. There are no official records or reports from the ICC, the Japanese government, or the United States government indicating any such action. 

The claim appears to stem from a speech by Shunichi Fujiki, a Japanese researcher and representative of the ICSA. On March 11, 2026, the first anniversary of Duterte’s arrest, Fujiki addressed the UNHRC, calling for a “humanitarian review” and the interim release of Duterte, who has been detained at the ICC in The Hague, the Netherlands.

In his speech, Fujiki said that Duterte, aged 81, had been “unlawfully removed from the homeland and held in prolonged pre-trial detention,” described his arrest as “political persecution,” and criticized the Philippine government for allegedly bypassing due process. He urged the UNHRC to demand a humanitarian review, citing Duterte’s health issues and ongoing pre-trial detention.

However, Carlos Conde, a veteran human rights activist and former journalist, criticized Fujiki in a blog post on March 17. He pointed out that Fujiki is not a human rights researcher but a Japanese nationalist activist and businessman with a history of denying wartime atrocities, including attempts to erase the testimonies of “comfort women.” Conde called Fujiki’s statements and the media’s uncritical coverage a “betrayal of everything that forum is supposed to stand for.”

It is also important to note that the ICC is independent from the United Nations and that the US is not a member of the ICC.

Duterte’s detention: Duterte remains detained at the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his bloody war on drugs, which allegedly caused thousands of deaths between 2011 and 2019. 

The court’s pre-trial chamber is scheduled to decide on April 22, 2026, whether the case will proceed to a full trial. The chamber will assess whether the prosecution has presented substantial grounds to believe Duterte orchestrated the killings as an indirect co-perpetrator. (READ: Will there be a Duterte trial? ICC decides on April 22)

At the same time, the ICC appeals chamber will rule on Duterte’s jurisdictional challenge. His defense argues that the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC before the court authorized an investigation should block the case, but the pre-trial chamber previously rejected this argument, stating that the alleged crimes occurred while the country was still a member of the court. 

Should Duterte’s case move to trial, hearings could begin later in 2026, giving both sides time to prepare. – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com

Marjuice Destinado is a senior political science student at Cebu Normal University (CNU) and an alumna of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2025.

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