Japan hangs two inmates, first under Aso government

Hindustan Times ^ | 10-28-08 | Staff

[atomic conspiracy]

Justice Minister Eisuke Mori announced on Tuesday that two death-row inmates have been executed, marking the first executions under the government of Prime Minister Taro Aso formed in late September and breaking a record high for the number of people executed per year.

According to the Justice Ministry, the two are Michitoshi Kuma, 70, who was at the Fukuoka detention center, and Masahiro Takashio, 55, at the Sendai detention center. They were the first executions since Sept. 11.

They bring the annual total of people executed by the government to 15, the most since 1999 when the government started publishing the number of people executed.The government has been executing inmates at a pace of once around every two months since the period of former Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama.

An execution of a death-row inmate requires authorization by the justice minister.

[atomic conspiracy]

Many Americans are surprised that Japan has the death penalty, having been misled by liberal media into assuming that the US is the only democratic country to retain it. Normally, when media weasels address this fact, they use a lot of qualifiers that will pass unnoticed by the average audience member; the only "industrialized," "western," "democratic" country, etc.

[Parley Baer]

I was surprised to learn of the hangings. I fully support Japan.

[SolidWood]

LOL. Indeed. They don’t notice that Japan is industrialized, western and democratic like no other Asian country... heck they beat most European countries.

[A_Former_Democrat]

Good Heavens, Miss Sakamoto said Japanese guys were not hung.

[jester221]

A fair, speedy trial followed by a speedy, proper hanging - whodathunk

[Dinsdale]

Japan does it up good.

Used to be the Japanese condemned never know when they are going to be hung.

Now they only have to worry one early morning per week.

Still I approve. Let ‘em stew.

[razbinn]

must have been a couple of real aso’s

[sam_paine]

Hanging? Really?

[cynwoody]

I wonder when they'll get around to Shoko Asahara.

[MediaMole]

Since the article didn’t list their offenses...

Kuma abducted 2 7-year-old girls as they walked to school in 1992 and strangled them in his van. Takashio stabbed to death an 83-year-old woman and her 55-year-old daughter at their home in 2004, and fled with ¥50,000 (£334) in cash.

[austrian]

Many Americans are surprised that Japan has the death penalty.

---

not only americans. Me too. i really didn´t know that.

[ladyvet]

LOL! My Okinawan daughter in law says the same thing!!!!

[gigster]

Dolby Ping.(Maybe One of Our Submarines).

[RichInOC]

They may not be hung, but they are hanged.

But that’s not quite the same...

[CaptRon]

Odd that the article doesn’t say what their offenses were.

[gigster]

Did you hear that when they arrested Jeffry Dahmer,
they found a jar of noses in the fridge?
He was going to make “Dahmer-Nose Pizza”!
...Sorry...

[AmericanInTokyo]

on those ones, they give them the “short rope”