12 set 03

TOKYO -  Japan hanged a convicted murderer on Friday, the first execution in nearly a year, the Justice Ministry said.

A ministry spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, refused to provide any other details of the execution, the third under the government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

In Japan, names of executed criminals are not released, nor are executions announced beforehand.

The government lifted a four-year moratorium on capital punishment in 1993.

But until 1998, it refused to publicly acknowledge executions.

Friday's execution was the first since Sept. 18 last year, when two convicted criminals were hanged.

Kyodo News agency identified the inmate as Shinji Mukai, 42, who had been on death row in Osaka, western Japan, since 1996.

Mukai was sentenced to death for killing two housewives and an infant in Japan's western cities of Himeji and Kobe in November and December 1985, Kyodo said.

Human rights groups criticized Friday's execution and the government's secrecy surrounding the practice.

 Amnesty International Japan, in a statement, urged the government to end the death penalty, and said that although the government has recently begun to provide some information about the hangings, <this time, as in the past, there was no advance notice, and the sudden way in which it was carried out is extremely regrettable.>  A total of 56 inmates are currently on death row  in Japan.

From our friends in Japan the Community of Sant'Egidio received the following messages regarding the new execution: Shinji MUKAI was executed this morning.

 He was 42 years old. He killed 3 people when he was 24 years old.  His purpose of killings

 was money. His trial was finalized on Dec. 17, 1996. His first application for amnesty was rejected but his adopted mother is preparing 2nd application for his amnesty.  Moreover, his lawyer is also preparing appeal for retrial for him due to his mental condition.

 According to Forum 90, Mukai has a scar in his brain when he got a car accident so that his mental competency is doubted. There has been no Minister of Justice who carried out the execution 3 times during his or her term of office.  The diet is closed now. 

 When the diet members met deputy secretary of Ministry of Justice in order to protest today's execution, the deputy secretary says that there is no discussion regarding abolition of death penalty after the death sentences were delivered to serious killers.

 His adopted mother and father plea for Mukai's commutation in July 2002 directly toward Justice Minister Moriyama, but it was rejected.

Amnesty International Japan, Amnesty International Japan Osaka, the diet members league against death penalty, Forum 90, the Japan Federation of Bar Association issued their protests against today's execution and invite all to protest against today's execution in Japan.

Misaki YAGISHITA, Amnesty International Japan

Today, September 12th, Mukai Shinji was executed at Osaka Detention Center.

This is the third execution since Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama took office. The last execution took place on September 18th, 2002.
Mukai was sentenced to death for killing three people by murder and murder on the occasion of robbery, which  were committed in 1985.

The sentence became final in 1996. He filed a request for amnesty on November 23rd, 2001.

In Japan, Diet session was closed at the end of July and Diet Members League for Abolition of the Death Penalty failed to submit a bill which includes introduction of a moratorium on execution.

Japan Federation of Bar Association has released a comment which condemn the execution and require to stay all executions, since legal procedures towards death sentences and conditions of death row prisoners are against ICCPR and other international human rights standards.

Japanese Government has ignored the resolution of Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe and has continued executions. We hope Japan's observer status will be seriously questioned by Assembly and further international action will be taken against Japanese Government.  

Maiko TAGUSARI - Tokyo