National Jan 18, 2020
by Ryusei Takahashi
A survey finds a large majority of Japanese believe the nation needs to create a more welcoming environment for foreign residents.
World / Crime & Legal Jan 14, 2020
The man accused of stabbing at least five people in a machete rampage at the home of a Hasidic rabbi during a Hanukkah celebration could face a death penalty trial if one of his alleged victims, still in a coma, dies, a judge said ...
World / Crime & Legal Dec 31, 2019
A Sudanese court on Monday sentenced 27 members of the country's security forces to death by hanging for torturing and killing a detained protester during the uprising against longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir earlier this year. The verdict, which can be appealed, was the first connected ...
National / Crime & Legal Dec 26, 2019
Chinese murderer of family of four executed in Japan
by Masumi Koizumi
The last time the death sentence was carried out was Aug. 2.
National Dec 17, 2019
Risk that Aussies could face death penalty in Japan is holding up defense pact, report says
The capital punishment system may be an obstacle for Australia to conclude a security agreement with Japan during Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's visit in January next year, The Australian reported Tuesday. The so-called Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) sets out a legal framework for Japanese ...
National / Crime & Legal Dec 2, 2019
Japan's Supreme Court confirms lighter sentence for man who fatally stabbed two
The Supreme Court has upheld a high court ruling that overturned a death sentence and gave an indefinite term to an unemployed man for killing two pedestrians in the city of Osaka in 2012. Kyozo Isohi, 44, stabbed Shingo Minamino, then 42, and Toshi Sasaki, ...
National Nov 22, 2019
New Japan Justice Minister Masako Mori vows reforms to protect human rights
by Magdalena Osumi
Justice Minister Masako Mori has pledged to prioritize the protection of human rights and support services for victims of crime in her new role. The lawyer-turned-lawmaker with 25 years of experience in the legal field said protecting the rights of children, in particular, would be ...
National / Social Issues Oct 15, 2019
by Tomohiro Osaki
On a recent summer evening, tranquility reigned in this small neighborhood in Wakayama, where nothing but the occasional barking of dogs and chirring of grasshoppers broke the peaceful silence. This rural idyll, however, was somewhat marred by the eerie sight of an empty lot that ...
National Oct 7, 2019
by Keiji Hirano
Expectations are growing that Pope Francis will meet with an 83-year-old man whose death sentence was recently suspended after a 48-year stint on death row, to send a clear signal about his opposition to capital punishment. It was reported in mid-September that the Vatican is ...
National Sep 30, 2019
Japan's new Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai pledges reform with a focus on immigration
by Magdalena Osumi
On Friday, newly appointed Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai promised to reform his ministry, including a pledge to more stringently enforce laws and regulations related to immigration. Kawai said the increase of the foreign worker quota under a new visa program that took effect in April ...
National Sep 14, 2019
Pope may meet Japanese man seeking retrial over death sentence
Pope Francis may meet Iwao Hakamada, who is seeking a retrial for his conviction in a 1966 quadruple homicide, during his visit to Japan in late November.
World / Crime & Legal Sep 3, 2019
White House to propose expedited death penalty for perpetrators of mass shootings
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has drafted legislation that would speed the death penalty for people who have committed mass murder, a White House official said on Monday. Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, told reporters on Air Force 2 that ...