Three men executed by Japanese authorities

Three men convicted of multiple killings were hanged yesterday in Japan’s first executions in almost two years.

Reports said the men were executed at three different prisons.

Justice minister Toshio Ogawa confirmed the executions in a news conference, saying that the punishment is supported by the public. He did not provide details, however, and all major Japanese media quoted anonymous Justice Ministry officials for details on who was executed.

The executions were Japan’s first since July 2010. Capital punishment is usually ordered only for inmates convicted of multiple murders. Japan has 132 death row convicts, which is near its highest level since the Second World War.

Japan, along with the United States, is one of the few industrialised countries that still has capital punishment. All executions in Japan are carried out by hanging.

Inmates on death row do not know when they will be executed until the last minute, while family members and lawyers are only told afterwards.

One death row inmate had been convicted of ramming a car into a train station and then knifing people nearby, killing five, in 1999.

Another killed two people in 2001, and the third condemned prisoner killed three in 2002.

The lack of transparency in the system has been criticised by rights groups such as Amnesty International and the main Japanese bar association. But capital punishment is generally supported by the public, according to opinion polls.

Amnesty International Asia-Pacific deputy director Catherine Baber said: “Today’s hangings are a hugely retrograde step – they bring Japan back into the minority of countries which are still executing.”