Fumiko Saiga (齋賀 富美子, Saiga Fumiko, November 30, 1943 – April 24, 2009) was a Japanese diplomat and was the first Japanese person and Asian woman to serve as a judge on the International Criminal Court.
Much of her early career was in Japan, culminating in 1998 when she was elected to serve as the Lieutenant Governor of Saitama prefecture.
[2] Saiga was elected to the International Criminal Court in November 2007[3] and was sworn in in January 2008.
During her tenure on the court she oversaw the investigation of war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
[1] Though she did not have formal legal training and a limited knowledge of international law,[6] she obtained 2/3 of the votes necessary to be elected to the position.