NCJ Number
102381
Date Published
1983
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This report on Amnesty International's mission to Japan (February 21-March 3, 1983) reviews Japan's capital punishment law and patterns of implementation; the report recommends that Japan abolish capital punishment.
Abstract
Under Japanese law, the death penalty can be imposed for 17 offenses. In recent years, however, the courts have issued death sentences for only three offenses: murder, a killing in the course of a robbery, and killing by explosives. Only one person has been executed in each of the years 1979, 1980, and 1981. Approximately 50 prisoners are currently under the death sentence. A number of currently prevailing factors in Japan facilitate the abolition of the death penalty. The imminent revision of the penal code provides a legislative opportunity for abolition, and the relatively low crime rate has minimized public pressure for use of the death penalty. Amnesty International recommends that the Japanese government immediately and permanently cease all executions and abolish the death penalty for all offenses in the revised penal code. All existing death sentences should be commuted. In preparation for abolition, the government should inform the public about criminological and penal 1ssues pertaining to the death penalty, including its lack of proven special deterrent effect. 26 notes and 3 tables.