Two inmates were hanged Wednesday in the first executions since the Democratic Party of Japan took power 10 months ago.
Justice Minister Keiko Chiba attended the executions of Kazuo Shinozawa and Hidenori Ogata at the Tokyo Detention House. It was the first time a justice minister has attended a hanging.
"The execution was being carried out by my order, thus I believed that it was my responsibility to see it with my own eyes. I have confirmed that the execution was performed properly," said Chiba, an opponent of the death penalty.