Three death row inmates, including a serial killer who murdered eight people between 1972 and 1982, were hanged Thursday morning, the Justice Ministry said.

While a brief statement by the ministry only listed the number of people executed, the three were identified by protest groups as Kiyotaka Fujiwara, 52, Takashi Miyawaki, 57, and Kunikatsu Oishi, 55. Fujiwara, a serial killer who changed his name in prison, is known to many under his former surname, Katsuta.

Fujiwara and Miyawaki were executed at the Nagoya Detention House, while Oishi was hanged at the Fukuoka Detention House.