Human rights group Amnesty International criticized Japan on Thursday for its continued used of the death penalty and the "secrecy" surrounding the execution process.
At the launch of Amnesty's annual release of death penalty statistics, spokeswoman Chiara Sangiorgio said Japan must give proper notice to death row inmates before the executions take place.
"They wonder every day if this will be their last. International standards require families, lawyers and the prisoners to be informed prior to the execution," she said.