The previously secret lives and unheard voices of people on death row have been published by a group opposed to capital punishment at a time when members of the public may soon be required to give the death penalty under the lay judge system.

The group, Forum 90, sent questionnaires last year to 105 inmates whose death sentences had been finalized, of whom 78 responded.

Extracts from their replies, expressing regret for their actions, the agony they experience in their cells or their disappointment with the judicial system, were initially presented at an annual public gathering last October in Tokyo to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty.