The Japan Federation of Bar Associations said Wednesday it will send a delegation to Germany and Britain later this month to study how the abolition of capital punishment has affected the two countries.
The 13-member delegation is also expected to research the two countries' legal systems, including ways to prevent death-penalty misjudgments and support for crime victims, during the Aug. 20-28 trip, it said.
Delegation members plan to visit prisons, research centers and victim-support groups in both countries, while attending an international study session on the abolition of capital punishment.
The JFBA adopted a resolution last October urging the government and Diet to enact a temporary statute to suspend executions while the public discusses the issue.
According to the federation, 72 people were on death row in Japan as of April.
Japan is among the 76 countries that have the death penalty, while 120 countries had no capital punishment as of December.