Amnesty International on Tuesday criticized Japan's continued use of the death penalty and the system that surrounds it.
In its annual report, the human rights group highlighted the secret September hanging of former police officer Susumu Kitagawa, who was sentenced to death in 1994 for the murder of two women.
Japan "aggravates" the suffering of those on death row by the "sudden announcement of executions," Amnesty said, noting this deprives the prisoner of an opportunity to say a final goodbye to family and friends.
Amnesty welcomed the new Penal Facilities and Treatment of Prisoners Law, which provides for monitors to inspect prisons, but added this does not cover conditions in pretrial detention or on death row.