India, Oct. 10 -- Japan on Friday slammed Russia's request for the extradition from the Netherlands of the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a Japanese national, and eight other officials of the court based in the European country.

The extradition requests came after Moscow issued warrants for the nine in response to the ICC's 2023 arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. The Moscow City Court last year sentenced the nine in absentia to prison terms.

A high-ranking Japanese official said Friday that Tokyo has expressed its protest to Moscow over the requests.

"Measures targeting individuals connected to the ICC are unjust and unacceptable," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Oz...