Disclosure of execution helps open debate on death penalty
(From The Japan Times Dec. 12 issue)

死刑執行、法務省が氏名を初公表

In executing three death-row inmates earlier this month, the Justice Ministry made public their names, the crimes they were convicted of and the locations of the executions. This break with its secrecy policy has slightly improved transparency in the nation's capital punishment system. This trend should not be reversed.

Until 1998, the ministry kept mum about executions. Only that year, it started announcing the number of those hanged, though other information was withheld. But because an error in capital punishment is irreparable, the public must be fully informed concerning any implementation of the death penalty.

The minimum that the justice minister, who signs approvals for executions, must do is explain how he or she has been convinced that death-row inmates have not been falsely accused and that mistrials are impossible.

In mid-November, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for a moratorium on executions in order to abolish the death penalty. According to Amnesty International, 90 nations and regions had abolished capital punishment as of October. Among the industrialized countries, only Japan and the United States have the death penalty.

The government and the public must pay attention to the fact that atrocious crimes continue to be committed. Respect for human life apparently has diminished and mammonism is becoming strong. The Japanese must give priority to efforts to rebuild the moral fibers of society.

法務省は今月初旬、3人の死刑執行を発表し、その氏名と、有罪とされた犯罪行為、執行場所を初めて公表した。これまで秘密主義を維持してきた死刑制度の公開度が少し改善した。この傾向を逆行させてはならない。

法務省は1998年に初めて、死刑執行件数の発表を始めたが、その他の情報はこれまで非公開としていた。

11月に国連総会は死刑執行の一時停止を求める決議案を採択した。人権団体アムネスティ・インターナショナルによれば、10月現在90の国家・地域が死刑を廃止している。先進国の中で、死刑制度を維持しているのは、日本と米国だけだ。

政府、国民は凶悪犯罪が続発していることに注目するべきだ。人命尊重が薄れ、拝金主義が強くなっている。日本国民の道徳心を構築することが重要だ。