Japan hangs three men on death row who were convicted of 'extremely ghastly' crimes in first executions since 2019

Japan has executed three men on death-row who were convicted of “extremely ghastly” crimes in the nation’s first use of the death penalty in the past two years.

Japan has revealed it has ended a two-year gap in executions by using the death penalty on three inmates.

One of the men on death row was convicted of killing seven relatives and setting fire to their house in 2004 while the other two were linked to the 2003 killing of two pinball parlour employees.

Information on the men and their crimes is limited but their names were: Yasutaka Fujishiro (aged 65), Tomoaki Takanezawa (aged 54), and Mitsunori Onogawa (aged 44).

Executions in Japan are carried out in secrecy and the prisoners are kept ignorant of their fate until the morning before they are hanged.

Japan has only recently begun revealing the names of those who have died via the death penalty and some details about their crimes.

Speaking at a news conference, Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said the three men had committed “extremely ghastly” crimes and the punishment was fitting.

Mr Yoshihisa refused to comment on the precise timing of the executions which have previously been held in the year-end holiday season while parliament is on a break.

Japan’s final session of the year was on Tuesday and political opponents have argued the end of year timing of executions was an attempt by the government to reduce backlash.

"As justice minister, I authorised their executions after giving extremely careful considerations again and again," Mr Yoshihisa said.

At present Japan has 107 people on death row in detention centres across the country and has kept the death penalty despite international pressure.

Proponents of the punishment in Japan say it is needed as a deterrence for heinous crime and to account for the feelings of victims.

Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries which use capital punishment and in Japan the majority of the public support it, according to Mr Yoshihisa.

He backed in the decision to only make the inmates aware of their fate hours before they were executed, claiming a damaging “mental impact” if they learned any sooner.

His comments come after two death-row inmates filed a lawsuit against the Japanese Government claiming the short notice given under the current system causes psychological distress.

The last execution in the country took place on December 26 2019 when a Chinese citizen was put to death after killing a family of four in 2003.

The latest executions are the first under Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Japan has resisted calls to abolish capital punishment from the European Union, human rights groups and thousands of Japanese lawyers.

In a 2009 report, Amnesty International said Japan subjected death row inmates to “cruel, inhuman and degrading” punishment.

Deputy chief cabinet secretary Seiji Kihara defended the use of the death penalty in Japan saying the decision to keep or abolish the punishment concerns the “foundation of Japan’s criminal justice system”.

“Given that atrocious crimes keep occurring one after another, it is necessary to execute those whose guilt is extremely grave, so it is inappropriate to abolish capital punishment,” he told reporters.

The credibility of convictions which carry the death sentence came under question in 2014 when Iwao Hakamada was released after spending 45 years on death row.

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