crime

Man on death row for killing 3 people dies of illness

11 Comments

A 70-year-old man who was on death row for killing one person 1997 and two others in 2000 died in prison in Tokyo on Wednesday. 

A spokesman for the Justice Ministry said Yoshiro Asa died of interstitial pneumonia, Fuji TV reported. His death leaves the number of inmates on death row in Japan at 110.

Asa, the head of a construction company, was convicted of killing one of his employees by beating him with a stick in 1997 and, along with accomplices, strangling two men in 2000. He was arrested after the remains of the three bodies were found at a campsite in Tsuru, Yamanashi Prefecture in 2003.

Asa was sentenced to death in 2006 but he filed an appeal which the Supreme Court denied in December 2011.

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11 Comments
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Personally speaking here, this is what the government hopes happens with ALL the death row inmates!

Either carry out the finalized sentences in a timely manner, or eliminate "death row" altogether and commute the remaining 110 sentences to life, without the possibility of parole!

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Either carry out the finalized sentences in a timely manner, or eliminate "death row" altogether and commute the remaining 110 sentences to life, without the possibility of parole!

Agree, although I personally would prefer the latter..

2 ( +5 / -3 )

At least he’s dead I suppose

0 ( +4 / -4 )

So in the end there was no justice for those he murdered. Sad.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Death is the ultimate escape for these people. But what those against capital punishment don't understand, or willingly are against it and I respect it is that those executed can see when they are executed that they are finally paying for their crimes. Leaving them to die in prison gives them the opportunity to think that they did nothing wrong.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

So in the end there was no justice for those he murdered. Sad.

Justice? More like revenge. He was not free, he died in prison. Living a life with no possible freedom, behind bars, seems to me to be more of a punishment than proverbially running away by dying!

Take away a person's hope, take away their freedom, that is the worst punishment of all!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Locked in a cell by yourself and your thoughts of not knowing when the government is going kill you for 20 plus years. Yeah, I think justice was served. It may have not been the method preferred by the state but the result is the same and I bet the old man would have been happier to have gone another way.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Whether the death sentence is just or not is debatable. Personally, I don't know and would hate to be the one who has to decide these things. I don't think leaving death row inmates to languish in prison for many years waiting for the dreaded day is right at all though.

One thing is for sure, whether Mr. Asa's victims families feel they got justice here or not, justice will definitely be served in the afterlife. I wouldn't like to be in Mr. Asa's shoes right now.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I suppose I am confused as to why they don't just carry out the sentence for the majority of these death row inmates. As far as we know they are not providing information to help in an investigation or contributing to society, they are literally taking up space and resources that could go elsewhere.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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