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Law and JusticeJapan

Japan executes 3 death row inmates

December 21, 2021

Japan has executed three death row inmates for the first time since December 2019, said Kyodo news agency. It is one of the few industrialized nations to still carry out capital punishment.

https://p.dw.com/p/44bqG
A symbolic image of a hangman's knot.
Japan has more than 100 inmates waiting for the death penaltyImage: Nerijus Liobe/Zoonar/picture alliance

Japan executed three death row inmates on Tuesday for the first time since 2019, Kyodo news agency reported. These were also the first executions carried out under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took office in October. 

Japan is one of the very few industrialized economies, other than the United States, that still carry out the death penalty. It currently has more than 100 inmates on death row. The last execution carried out in Japan was on December 26, 2019. 

Kyodo reported that one of those put to death was a 65-year-old man, convicted of stabbing and killing his relatives. 

Support for capital punishment remains high

Despite criticism from rights groups, support for for capital punishment remains high among the public. Death row inmates are hanged to death in Japan, and are usually told only hours before their execution is carried out.

This practice has been decried by human rights organizations, for the amount of stress it puts on the inmate.

tg/msh (AFP, Reuters)