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© KYODOOver 80% support death penalty in Japan: gov't survey
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JeffLee
It's pointless trying to abolish it when so many Japanese people favor it. This is a democracy, after all.
bass4funk
Glad to see it. I think every country should have it for the absolute worst offenders.
Shimo-chan
I think the existence of the death penalty may ease the grief of murder victims' families to some extent. But in countries where the death penalty doesn’t exist, how do they prioritize the pain of the victims’ families and human rights?
Mr Kipling
Can you return the 40 years of freedom Mr. Hakamata lost while in prison? No, so this argument is rather pointless.
virusrex
Of course not, a lot of mesures taken by governments are unpopular and still are taken, making the population accept the deep moral contradiction of supposedly defending human rights as the first priority and then ignoring them for convenience or satisfaction is a perfectly valid reason.
tora
The ironic thing is that countries that have abolished it generally have a lower murder rate. It's called progression.
Toshihiro
80% is a credible percentage of the population. I guess behind the ultra polite and considerate facade of the average Japanese, the archaic side still resides where unwavering wills prevail and punishments are harsh.
William77
The death penalty is fortunately abolished in all the civilised democracies except some states in the US and Japan.
This says it all,a primitive punishment that is not fit for a modern democracy.
spidersenses
Yeah, but this seeming overwhelming support for the death penalty in Japan is largely based on a lack of understanding about how the cruel death penalty is administered, the inhumane conditions of death row inmates (i.e., years of solitary confinement), and the high potential for wrongful convictions.
If the government were more open and transparent about how it works and how cruel and inhumane it is, the numbers would be much lower.
kurikuri
It's barbaric and archiac.
iknowall
Exactly.
The people want it. The government want it. Both support the human rights of those who deserve it the most--the victims and their families.
The death penalty remains.
virusrex
When you could not even address the opposite arguments this means you are also accepting it is not "exactly" but the opposite.
No, there is no human right to vengeance, instead there is a human right to live.
VoiceOfReason
As an expat who reads JT regularly and sees case after case of rapists and murders getting 10-20 years in prison, or less, I welcome harsher penalties.
Hopefully there will be more reform so people can't get away with "I don't remember" as an excuse for minor offenses committed
Fighto!
There should always be an ultimate punishment for the worst, most heinous crimes. Brutal child killers, for one example, have forfeited their right to be expensively kept alive, sheltered, fed and looked after for decades. Likewise, the despicable Aum Shinrikyo terrorists and their ilk.
80% of Japanese citizens recognise this, and as mentioned, this number is rising.
Fighto!
Yes- there was a right to live for those innocent children callously murdered by the worst of the worst in society.
virusrex
What makes you think people get away with that excuse? It is as useful and valid as "I didn't do it". When evidence or witness are available both are completely useless.
Which is why the criminals are punished, you seem to think the only other option for the death penalty is just to let people go, that makes absolutely no sense.
Most people die, because that people die has no importance when discussing if people should or not die by the hands of others. If you are perfectly fine with being killed that is your right, but for the rest of the people there is great importance to decide if life is a right that should be prioritized or not.
goyakix
The loss of innocent lives is a tragedy, but executing the perpetrator doesn’t restore them.
The death penalty risks irreversible mistakes and perpetuates violence.
True justice honors victims by valuing life, preventing future crimes, and supporting families—without resorting to further vengeance.
quercetum
The death penalty is unfortunately abolished except in about half of the states in the US.
GuruMick
Does the death of a murderer ease the burden of the murdered persons family ? Doubt it .
How many times do rigged Police convictions occur ? Many instances here and USA
Death penalty countries don't show a drop in murder rates. Thats a statistical fact.
The rehabilitation aspect of sentencing not apparent in Japanese Courts.
quercetum
As someone who reads JT regularly and sees case after case of rapes and murders getting fewer than 10-20 years in prison, I welcome the death penalty for rapists and murderers.
quercetum
Have you even said thank you once to the death penalty for keeping that murder rate from increasing?
BakabonPapa
This survey result is suspicious, as questions can easily be geared to lead to certain outcomes. Recent research has pointed to an increase of this in government surveys on the topic over the last few decades, and to lower past public support. Moreover, only slightly more than 50% of people polled in the USA express support for capital punishment, and the global trend is against it, so this "over 80%" result is dubious. Yet, support in Japan is high, but this is largely due to the fact that the government deliberately discourages open, public discussions of the topic. Rather, it simply states that capital punishment is needed because violent crime exists in Japan, despite the total lack of credible evidence for the death penalty's effectiveness as a deterrent.
virusrex
False dichotomy is false, longer (life long even) sentences do not require in any way the death penalty.
Since there is no difference without this penalty that means it is not the one responsible for the rates not increasing. On the other hand it is responsible for openly saying the government support killing people as a useful way to reach a goal.
falseflagsteve
I oppose the death penalty even for the most heinous crimes.
u_s__reamer
Glad to see it. I think every country should have it for the absolute worst offenders.
Hmm, the worst offenders by far are government officials who think nothing of killing human beins on an industrial scale. In peace-time Japan today the 80% supposedly in favor of murder by the state is merely the result of a lack of education and no media campaign for the abolition of the death penalty. Meanwhile, the government, appealing to the public's fears and vengeful emotions, is under zero pressure to surrender the benefits of politicizing hangings for votes.
itsonlyrocknroll
If the japan, its people, wish to retain the ultimate sanction, execution, from judiciary, jury, that condemns a person crime so heinous to quote.
"And so, the sentence of this court is that you be taken from here to the place of execution and there hanged by the neck until you are dead.".
However, the public must witness such action.
Yes why hide, politically sanitize such punishment?
Will the 80% still support death penalty in Japan
Maybe, maybe not.
The jury that handed down, condemned a person to death, I contend, be required by law, to attend the execution.
Gahan
How utterly barbaric
virusrex
No it should not, because that would make the executors also guilty of the same flaw, not prioritizing the human right of life above other benefits.
The part you are trying to ignore is that society should not be on the same level than the criminal, so if the society says human rights should be a priority then it can't justify the death penalty since this contradicts this declaration.
You are the one that says killing people is a justified mean to reach a goal, opposing this clearly demonstrate a higher value for human life. Unless of course you think killing them would bring back to life their victims, which would make no sense.
iknowall
No need to address something nonsensical.
The death penalty is part of Japan's legal system. It is a legal mechanism in Japan, desired by the people and the government in this democratic country.
If you cannot provide any law that states there is a human right to live then you are just providing your non-legal opinion.
Absolutely. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Or punishment.
spidersenses
iknowallToday 11:56 am
The right ti live is fundamental to the international human rights law signed by Japan which means by murdering their own people they are committing a crime against humanity under international law.
Ai Wonder
We are against murder, so let’s murder the murderer! At least 20% of Japan is sane.
iknowall
No, and you list no source.
Japan, however, has specific laws, and the definition of murder for example, is not illustrated by the death penalty.
Murdering a murderer would be murder, but the killing through the death penalty is legally not murder.
Valerie
https://www.ohchr.org/en/what-are-human-rights/international-bill-human-rights
PART III of Human Bill of Rights
Article 6
The death penalty is not permitted without a fair and just trial and without cruel treatment; Japan fails in both cases.
iknowall
So, the death penalty is permitted. And Japan is following its own laws, and following the guidance of the Human Bill of Rights.
TokyoLiving
Good..
Even Bible's Romans 13 supports death penalty..
Wasabi
It's barbaric and archaic. Also, IF guilty, a fast and easy way out, that no justice.
Shane Sommerville
I support it also. An eye for an eye. Only thing I would change is you should be able to deal out the punishment yourself.
wallace
The death penalty is one point. Another is the barbaric conditions on death row. Inmates must suffer an extreme regime of brutal conditions. Sometimes for many decades, inflicting mental torture.
Some might say they deserve that treatment, but many international human rights bodies say they do not.
They are only informed of their execution on the morning of their hanging. No family meetings allowed. The families are only informed after the execution.
They spend 24/7 in a tiny cell with no window and the lights on. Limited reading materials. Must sit still during the daytime.
Many just go mad before their execution.
virusrex
Since you have not demonstrated that point you are recognizing it as valid and correct, it is not that you don't address it, but that you can't do it since you have no argument.
Legal and moral are not the same thing, and something being legal in no way refutes the fact that is contradictory with what Japan says about human rights.
The argument is about being congruent or not with what Japan says about human rights, it is not about laws, so you contradicted something nobody used as an argument.
Again, the criticism is about the society in general that uses a punishment it itself says is not valid.
This in no way refutes the argument that by saying human rights are a priority the Japanese government also disqualifies the death penalty as valid, the argument is logical not legal as you are trying to misrepresent.
In spite of what the Japanese government says it is valid to do or not. And no, it does not follow the guidance of the Human Bill of Rights.
iknowall
What the international human rights bodies say does not change the fact the death penalty is legal in Japan, and supported by more than 80% of Japanese people.
It's a valid point according to the headline--over 80% in Japan support the death penalty. You offer no evidence that figure is not correct, so why would I comment further on your nonsensical remark?
Something being legal is based on fact--the law. If you try to say it is not moral, then that is merely your opinion, based on who knows what.
The death penalty is legal in Japan. It follows the guidance of the Human Bill of Rights--even though it does not need to, and you offer zero references to support your opinion to the contrary.
wallace
iknowall
Some might say they deserve that treatment, but many international human rights bodies say they do not.
Try reading my comment next time before posting a response. I did not mention the death penalty. I commented on the barbaric conditions on death row. A cruel and unnecessary treatment.
wallace
The poll, which had 3,000 respondents, was very small for such an important question. Only 83.1% of respondents supported the death penalty, but that does not mean 83.1% of all adults do.
grc
It’s so good to see the Japanese government respecting the wishes of its citizens. I’m sure other commenters have brought it up but if the death penalty is to stay the criminal justice system has to be seen to be above reproach and chock full of safeguards
BakabonPapa
No, they don't. In Japan, death row inmates are kept in solitary confinement and are told when they will be hanged only shortly before it happens.
virusrex
The argument is that something being legal do not means it is not against what the international human rights bodies say about the death penalty, this still contradicts your claim that Japan is congruent with what they say.
Making up imaginary things that nobody said instead of actually addressing the argument means you yourself recognize you have no argument against what was actually said in the comment, so no argument apart from making up a claim not made on that comment?
No, not an opinion an argument based on what the Japanese government say about human rights, this is not really that difficult, so pretending not to recognize the argument only makes it obvious you can't argue against it.
Still not, you keep repeating that claim but fail to argument how it is the case when it has been repeatedly proved to you it does not follows the Human bill of rights.
Is this yet another argument you could not refute so you are reduced to repeat the debunked claim over and over again?
iknowall
Try reading my comment next time before posting a response.
It's Japanese law. International human rights bodies can say what they want but still does not chnge the fact the death penalty is what the government and the people of Japan want.
You need to read the Human bill of rights to understand.
Again, the fact is, Japanese law permits the death penalty. And the people support it. If you have any evidence otherwise, you have yet to show it.
Do you have evidence the death penalty is against the law in Japan?
Nihon Tora
It's disappointing, but not surprising, to see such a large number of people in favour of this punishment that belongs in the dark ages. Having said that, I think if the government did get rid of the death penalty, within just a few short years, many of those people would have the opposite opinion. A lot of people in Japan base their opinions on the opinions of people above them or on the opinions of the majority.
I mean, I understand it - I would also want to kill the person responsible if one of my family members was murdered. But the law of the land needs to rise above it. Life without possibility of parole is enough for the worst offenders - they can never again cause harm to society, there is still the possibility to reverse the decision if new evidence comes to light that the person was not guilty, and perhaps most importantly, we as a society do not have to sink to the depths of some of the worst individuals in that society. We can say, we are better than that and in doing so, set a more positive example. The possibility of the death penalty is not going to deter anyone any more than the possibility of spending the rest of their lives in a miserable Japanese prison, which everyone knows is no holiday camp.
virusrex
But it also made your claim that Japan abides with what these international bodies say easy to disprove. Your original claim (not the legal status of the death penalty) was what was argued as false, and easily proved since you could not refute that argument, you keep deflecting towards what the law says, which is absolutely irrelevant.
What part exactly? obviously the international bodies that support the human rights (like amnesty international) have a very good understanding of the bill, yet they completely contradict what you say. That means you are much more likely to be misrepresenting the bill and that is why you can't bring any actual argument where it approves the death penalty, once again just baseless claims that you can't defend with argument.
And again this has no relevance about the contradiction with what the Japanese government says it prioritizes, you are repeating an irrelevant argument that is not relevant to the argument.
Why would I need that evidence? my argument is that the penalty is hypocritical taking into account how the government says human rights are a priority. The only one trying to deflect the arguments towards the legality has been you, even when repeatedly corrected to how this is irrelevant to the arguments you are trying to refute.
USNinJapan2
A question that should be included in this survey is, "If you are in favor of capital punishment, would your support be affected at all if you were accused, tried, and convicted of a capital crime which you did not commit?"
Anyone who supports capital punishment should consider this. As demonstrated time and again, justice meted out by a legal system conducted by fallible humans will always result in innocent people wrongly convicted for crimes they did not commit. How would you feel if it were you or a loved one was the one wrongfully sent to death row? Do you consider innocent individuals being executed to be a justifiable price or sacrifice for the greater good? What percent of wrongful executions is acceptable to you? 1%? 10%? 25%?
An irreversible sentence for which the wrongfully executed can never be compensated shouldn't ever be an option when a life sentence without parole will serve the same purpose for society. It's shocking and extremely disappointing that "...concern for the feelings of victims of capital crimes and their families," was the reason given by 62% of survey responders for their support of the death penalty.
u_s__reamer
Death-penalty opponents say they value human life, but they really don't.
If they did, they wouldn't be death-penalty opponents.
They would understand that an INNOCENT human being's life is so sacred, so valuable, that the murderer's forfeiture of his or her own life is the only true justice.
Surely those who advocate capital punishment saying they value human life really don't. They are all textbook cases of cognitive dissonance with a topping of hypocrisy. Although a death penalty opponent of state murder, for the the most heinous forms of killing (war and the government violence as an instrument of state terrorism), I strongly advocate the establishment of an international Nuremberg-type system to impose draconian punishments on mass-murderers, only as a deterrent, naturally.
wallace
One wrongly executed person is one too many.
4123
for example "Iizuka case", death penalty was already executed despite high probability of false convictions.
But, most Japanese still seem to think false accusations and death penalty as someone else.
itsonlyrocknroll
Capital punishment should and must be performed in public for all to witness.
If the crime is so heinous, roll out the horse and cart,
If a court has found such crime to warrant the ultimate sanction, then execute the condemned for all to see.
I know, such a act is unthinkable.
So why hide behind a wall of secrecy then ?
Simon Foston
Fighto!Today 08:53 am JST
Um. It's actually quite common in Japan for those sentenced to death to be expensively kept alive, sheltered, fed and looked after for decades until some adminstration or other decides it needs to order more executions.
albaleo
I wonder what the response figure would have been if the question was, "Would you be willing to carry out the execution of a murderer?"
HopeSpringsEternal
Most Japanese have no idea how 'conservative' the death penalty is and have this ill-conceived idea they're liberal, when most are highly conservative in all respects.
Attribute above largely to Japanese media brainwashing, nothing quite like it anywhere else in world and I've seen a thing or two compared to most.
HopeSpringsEternal
Many Japanese even support death penalty for crimes less severe than murder with intent or 1st degree murder, so extreme conservative regarding death penalty in fact.
Simply mind boggling, yet to a person they think they're liberal!
itsonlyrocknroll
albaleo,
Could well be the ultimate final dilemma judicial moral quandary?
Justifiable homicide, predicated by law?
The "public" called upon to carry out the will of 80% from a survey?
HopeSpringsEternal
Those who support the death penalty, place great value on its 'deterrent' value, reducing crime, just like cameras on streets reduce red light runners and speeding.
Pretty hard to argue the statistics, deterrence works.
wallace
Revenge is more important for death penalty supporters than deterrence. Eye-for-an-eye.
itsonlyrocknroll
I could be persuaded, for a number of heinous crimes, after a Judiciary deemed fit, to hang the condemned from the nearest lamp post.
That extreme moment of horror revulsion, that one human being could commit such atrocities.
Also why should such crimes, warrant the mercy of the taxpayer?
However, the infallibility of the Justice system demands careful consideration.
WoodyLee
Reflection of the state of minds.
The Death penalty should be the last and final options based of SOLID evidence ""Beyond ANY Reasonable Doubt"".
We all, remember the Japanese boxer who was sentenced to death with FAKE evidence, lets keep that in mind.
quercetum
I don’t believe in the permanent right to life. You can lose it by taking away another person’s right to life.
You mean justice. Are you religious?
If you sin, supposedly the punishment is death. This is law by the creator of life in Western religion.
Someone told me once that somebody has to take the punishment for sin or a crime or it would not be just.
It is not for revenge but for justice.
USNinJapan2
quercetum
And those wrongfully executed? You write them off as the cost of doing business? Just some more people who don't have a right to life? How do they factor into your "justice"?
socrateos
kurikuri:
You are completely wrong. Your sense of morality is upside down. What is truly barbaric is a crime that takes the lives of innocent people. The death penalty is a form of justice against such barbaric and inhuman acts. Justice serves to protect innocent people from such brutality.
IMadeAnAccountJustForThis
80% of that amount is only 1452 people. This survey is so small it's ridiculous. I don't think that such a small amount can represent the entire population.
virusrex
Not validly, it is very difficult to avoid traffic deaths without paralyzing the country, it is on the opposite very easy to stop executions without any negative repercussions. Invalid comparison. As long as a society says life is a human right then it does not accept these deaths.
Except that is not actually expensive at all.
The statistics prove that abandoning the death penalty do not cause an increase of crime, they prove the opposite of your point.
Justice do not require for societies to be hypocritical, imprisonment is enough, the executions are there to satisfy a desire for revenge.
False contraposition the death penalty can be barbaric even if the crime also is, there is no increase on morality depending on the crime.
Japan has a population of 120 million, for a confidence interval of 95% and a margin of error of 5% a survey of 400 people is enough. Of course this depends on the survey being random.
stormcrow
What can ya say?
Japan is a very traditional society.
DanteKH
While at some degree I agree that some individuals no longer deserves to live, such as the one PROVEN they did very horrendous crimes, the death penalty murder should be only conducted by the family of the victim(s), on person, and while looking the criminal in the eyes before the execution.
No other person should take another person's life.
Yohan
There is one problem with people who argue against the death penalty: They are also against a whole life sentence in prison to replace the death penalty.
Their argument is always about everybody deserves a second chance and indeed in many countries without death penalty criminals are often released again after only a few years in jail and they commit crimes again against innocent citizens again.
I miss from all such people who feel so sorry for criminals any reference to what to do with their victims.
They show absolutely no compassion, no consideration for victims of crime and their families.
Honest citizens have a right to be protected too. What about them?
TaiwanIsNotChina
Who says so? If someone is legitimately a violent pos, then lock them up for good. I think the problem is some people want the death penalty for what are not violent offenses.
TaiwanIsNotChina
You have the right to protection. You do not have the right to make people disappear because you don't like them.
Paul Novax
The laws of the country in which you are in apply whether someone likes it or not. And a country makes its own laws according to the will of its people and government no matter how much outside entities might try to impose their own opinions.
virusrex
But when the laws are hypocritical with what the own government says it prioritized this is not an argument that refutes this fact.
Not necessarily, when something can be proved to be positive and promote social development it can be reflected in laws even before it becomes popular, interracial marriage, freedom of sexual preference, etc. Are very frequently recognized as legal before they are popular. This applies specially when the population actually agrees with the arguments that make the death penalty unacceptable based on human rights.