Four convicted murderers were hanged Thursday, the first executions this year and maintaining the fast pace that saw 15 people put to death in 2008, an unusually high number for one year.
It was the second set of execution orders signed by Justice Minister Eisuke Mori, who sent two inmates to the gallows Oct. 28. He assumed the post Sept. 24. "I just conducted my duty as the justice minister," Mori said at a news conference.
Executions have been on the rise in recent years. Mori's immediate predecessor, Okiharu Yasuoka, signed off on three executions in September even though he held the office for only about a month. The man he replaced, Kunio Hatoyama, ordered 13 executions during his 12-month stint that started in August 2007, the most hangings by a single justice minister since at least 1993.