- Jan 10, 2002
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Thank you <3 Keiko Chiba
Full article at link
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/world/asia/28tokyo.html?_r=2&src=tptw
Japanese Officials Reveal Execution Chambers
Kyodo/Reuters
The trap door is outlined in red in an execution chamber at the Tokyo Detention Center.
By HIROKO TABUCHI
TOKYO The Japanese government opened up its execution chambers to the public for the first time on Friday, taking journalists on a tour of Tokyos main gallows. The insides were stark: a trapdoor, a Buddha statue and a ring for the noose.
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Readers' Comments
The opening of the chambers was a bid by Japans justice minister, Keiko Chiba, to stir debate over a practice that is widely supported here.
Of the Group of Eight industrialized nations, only the United States and Japan use capital punishment. Japan currently has 107 inmates on death row, and no pardon is allowed. From 2000 to 2009, Japan sentenced 112 people to death and executed 46.
I called for proper disclosure in the hope that it spurs debate over the death penalty and criminal sentencing, Ms. Chiba, who opposes the death penalty, said at a news conference this month.
In July, Ms. Chiba approved and witnessed the hangings of two inmates convicted of murder, saying she was carrying out her duties as justice minister. Afterward, she said she still opposed capital punishment and ordered that journalists be given a tour of the facilities. She also promised to create a panel of experts to discuss the death penalty, including whether it should be stopped. The panel meets next month.
Japan has long been criticized by human rights activists for its capital punishment system. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, which monitors civil and political rights, has urged Japan to consider abolishing the death penalty, citing the large number of crimes that entail the death sentence, the lack of pardoning, the solitary confinement of inmates and executions at advanced ages and despite signs of mental illness.
Japan also has a 99 percent conviction rate, a figure critics attribute to widespread use of forced confessions. A series of false convictions have surfaced in recent months, including one of a 63-year-old man who had served 17 years of a life sentence for the murder of a 4-year-old girl. He was released after prosecutors admitted that his confession was a fabrication made under duress and DNA tests showed he was innocent. Critics say there is a high possibility that some of those on death row are innocent.
Full article at link
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/world/asia/28tokyo.html?_r=2&src=tptw
Japanese Officials Reveal Execution Chambers
The trap door is outlined in red in an execution chamber at the Tokyo Detention Center.
By HIROKO TABUCHI
TOKYO The Japanese government opened up its execution chambers to the public for the first time on Friday, taking journalists on a tour of Tokyos main gallows. The insides were stark: a trapdoor, a Buddha statue and a ring for the noose.
Related
- Japans Leader Says Hell Move to Rein In Surging Yen (August 28, 2010)
Readers' Comments
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
The opening of the chambers was a bid by Japans justice minister, Keiko Chiba, to stir debate over a practice that is widely supported here.
Of the Group of Eight industrialized nations, only the United States and Japan use capital punishment. Japan currently has 107 inmates on death row, and no pardon is allowed. From 2000 to 2009, Japan sentenced 112 people to death and executed 46.
I called for proper disclosure in the hope that it spurs debate over the death penalty and criminal sentencing, Ms. Chiba, who opposes the death penalty, said at a news conference this month.
In July, Ms. Chiba approved and witnessed the hangings of two inmates convicted of murder, saying she was carrying out her duties as justice minister. Afterward, she said she still opposed capital punishment and ordered that journalists be given a tour of the facilities. She also promised to create a panel of experts to discuss the death penalty, including whether it should be stopped. The panel meets next month.
Japan has long been criticized by human rights activists for its capital punishment system. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, which monitors civil and political rights, has urged Japan to consider abolishing the death penalty, citing the large number of crimes that entail the death sentence, the lack of pardoning, the solitary confinement of inmates and executions at advanced ages and despite signs of mental illness.
Japan also has a 99 percent conviction rate, a figure critics attribute to widespread use of forced confessions. A series of false convictions have surfaced in recent months, including one of a 63-year-old man who had served 17 years of a life sentence for the murder of a 4-year-old girl. He was released after prosecutors admitted that his confession was a fabrication made under duress and DNA tests showed he was innocent. Critics say there is a high possibility that some of those on death row are innocent.
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