Japan executes two murderers (Roundup)

Jul 28, 2010, 9:07 GMT

Tokyo - Two murderers were hanged in Japan on Wednesday, Justice Minister Keiko Chiba said.

The minister witnessed the executions, the first since the Democratic Party of Japan took power in September.

Kazuo Shinozawa, 59, was hanged for the murders of six female employees of a jeweller's shop in Tochigi Province in 2000.

Hidenori Ogata, 33, was convicted of a double murder in 2003. Relatives of the executed are only told that the sentence has been carried out afterwards, and death row inmates are informed of their execution date on the same morning.

Japan is one of the few developed countries in which the death penalty is still used.

The minister voiced support for a public debate on the death penalty, a first for Japan. She ordered her ministry to form a commission to examine the pros and cons.

Chiba used to be part of a group of lawmakers opposed to the death penalty, but ended her membership when taking office. She may be replaced as minister soon, as she lost her parliamentary seat in the upper house elections earlier this month.

Domestic and international human rights organizations have for years denounced Japan's death penalty and prison conditions.

Previous conservative governments argued that 80 per cent of the population supported capital punishment.

Currently, 107 convicts are on death row.