EXECUTIONS IN JAPAN EXCEED DEATH SENTENCE CONFIRMATIONS IN 2008

December 22, 2008: death-row inmates executed in 2008 will certainly outnumber those whose death penalty was confirmed over the same period for the first time in nine years, Justice Ministry figures show.
Between the beginning of 2008 and December 21st, 15 death-row inmates were executed across the country while death sentences were confirmed on 10 people over the same period. The figures highlight the tendency of judicial authorities to toughen punishment on those convicted of serious offences and the Justice Ministry's stance to execute death-row inmates at a faster pace.
In 1999, five inmates were executed while death sentences on four people were confirmed. Since the following year, those whose death sentences were confirmed each year had outnumbered those executed.Currently, 100 people whose death sentences have been confirmed are awaiting execution across the country. (Sources: Mainichi Daily News, 22/12/2008)