Human rights group Amnesty International slammed Japan on Wednesday for resuming the use of capital punishment last year after a 20-month gap between executions.

The previous, Democratic Party of Japan-led government resumed the use of capital punishment in March 2012, executing 10 people since then. The last executions took place in February following the December election the new Liberal Democratic Party-led government.

"The resumption was shocking because it was introduced by the former government which had, at one point, a justice minister in favor of abolishing the death penalty," Amnesty campaigner Chiara Sangiorgio said in London.