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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Japan Executes Three Murderers |
| 2007-08-25 |
| Japan on Thursday hanged three convicted murderers in their 60s as the country stepped up the pace of executions, officials and activists said. A justice ministry spokeswoman said the prison system hanged three criminals but declined to provide any further details, in line with standard procedure in Japan. Amnesty International and media reports said the three were convicted murderers aged between 60 and 69. Japan is the only major industrialized nation other than the United States to practice the death penalty. Despite enjoying one of the world's lowest crime rates, opinion polls show Japanese overwhelmingly support capital punishment amid growing public concern about violence. The executions bring to 10 the number of inmates hanged since December, when Japan ended a 15-month halt in executions which was due to a previous justice minister's opposition to the death penalty. The current justice minister, Jinen Nagase, took office last year when conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to power and may lose his job on Monday when the embattled premier reshuffles his cabinet. Amnesty International, which keeps records of death-row inmates and stays in contact with their families, identified the executed inmates as Hifumi Takezawa, 69, Kozo Segawa, 63, and Yoshio Iwamoto, 60. Makoto Teranaka, the secretary general of Amnesty International Japan, said the three inmates, unlike many on death row, had not protested their death sentences after they were finalized. "These three inmates were the ones we were worried about," Teranaka told AFP. "It's a grave problem for Japan to maintain the death penalty despite rising opposition to it all over the world," he said. "The government's targeting of people in weak positions such as these three inmates is also problematic." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #7 The problem in Japan isn't the death penalty, it's there is no presumption of innocence. I've read conviction rates are an incredible 99.9% and is almost always based on a confession. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2007-08-25 16:27 |
| #6 Despite enjoying one of the world's lowest crime rates, this article fails to concede Japan's low crime rate might have something to do with hanging criminals. James Taranto at Opinion Journal calls this the Fox Butterfield Effect. Butterfield's a NYT reporter who has written a few articles that can be summed thusly: 'U.S. prison populations are at an all-time high, but crime rates are near historical lows.' Go figure. |
| Posted by: Raj 2007-08-25 09:07 |
| #5 There is a very good reason that there is a low crime rate in Japan (actually several). First Japan lets very few non-Japanese people live in the country permanantly. Seciond their culture is VERY strict and they are taugth from very young to follow the rules or else. Finally they are SUPER tough on criminals. Stiff sentences and harsh treatment in prison are meant to deter crime. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2007-08-25 09:06 |
| #4 Despite enjoying one of the world's lowest crime rates, opinion polls show Japanese overwhelmingly support capital punishment amid growing public concern about violence. Despite enjoying one of the world's lowest crime rates, this article fails to concede Japan's low crime rate might have something to do with hanging criminals. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-08-25 08:24 |
| #3 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Public Statement AI Index: ASA 22/009/2002 (Public) News Service No: 211 20 November 2002 Japan: prison abuses must stop Amnesty International called today on the Japanese authorities to initiate a thorough, public and independent investigation into the recent ill treatment of a 30 year old man, the death of another prisoner in May in Nagoya Prison, as well as prisoners' complaints regarding the use of force and ill-treatment by prison officials. "Prison abuses" have obviously ended for Hifumi Takezawa, Kozo Segawa, and Yoshio Iwamoto. It's all good. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-08-25 07:40 |
| #2 "It's a grave problem for Japan to maintain the death penalty despite rising opposition to it all over the world," he said. "The government's targeting of people in weak positions such as these three inmates is also problematic." What a load of crap. I say bravo for the Japanese. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2007-08-25 01:44 |
| #1 Despite enjoying one of the world's lowest crime rates, opinion polls show Japanese overwhelmingly support capital punishment So do the populations of England, Spain, Canada, and a lot of other places. Not that anybody listens, mind you. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2007-08-25 01:43 |