The books and memorandums Hiroyuki Shinoda, 56, has published were not penned by the conventional writer, but instead are the works of death-row inmates.

Faced with criticism that perpetrators of heinous crimes should not be given a public platform, Shinoda, who heads Tsukuru Publishing Co., believes society should understand why people commit terrible crimes.

"I believe it's necessary to record their voices to find out their motives and the backgrounds of their crimes," Shinoda said.