According to the Ministry of Justice, Japan has executed a man convicted of killing seven people in a 2008 stab assault, the death penalty since December last year.
Tomohiro Kato, 39, used a truck to invade a pedestrian in a commercial district in Tokyo on June 8, 2008, killing three people and injuring two. He later left the truck, fatally stabbing four passers-by and injuring the other eight.
Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said Kato had shown “willingness to murder” and “careful preparation,” killing seven people, injuring 10 and committing them in a “cruel way.”
“In this case, the death sentence was finalized after a sufficient trial. Based on the above facts, as the Minister of Justice, I ordered the execution after careful consideration.” statement.
“Ruthless attack”
Hideaki Nakagawa, director of Amnesty International, called the execution a “ruthless attack on his right to life” because it took place while Kato was pursuing a second retrial of the death sentence.
“Execution during a request for a retrial clearly violates the international safeguards established to protect the rights of those facing the death penalty,” Nakagawa said. statement.
Mr Nakagawa urged the Government of Japan to implement a moratorium on executions and change all executions to imprisonment.
Fumio Kishida second death penalty
Mr. Kato was executed for the first time this year under the direction of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took office in October 2021. Japan executed three death sentences in December last year.
Yasutaka Fujishiro, 65, was executed in 2004 for murdering his 80-year-old aunt, two cousins, and four other relatives. ..
In Japan, the death penalty is hanged.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Aldgra Fredly is a Malaysia-based freelance writer featuring the Epoch Times Asia Pacific News.