The newly appointed justice minister on Thursday gave clues as to her priorities in office, restating the ministry's intention to clean up a discredited foreign trainees program but saying she is disinclined to outlaw hate speech.
Asked about the death penalty, Yoko Kamikawa paused and appeared to choose her words carefully, saying she will carry out her duties "with much caution and solemnity."
On hate speech, she said that while vilifying an ethnic minority and calling for its extermination is "extremely disappointing," Japan must protect freedom of expression.