27 December 2018 :

Japan hanged two men convicted of murder on 27 December 2018, the justice minister said, bringing the number of executions this year to 15 -- tied for the highest amount on record.
The minister named the two men executed as Keizo Kawamura, 60, and Hiroya Suemori, 67, who were convicted of the 1988 strangling of an investment firm chief and an employee.
After stealing 100 million yen, they buried the two bodies in concrete in the mountains. Their capital punishment sentence was finalised in 2004.
Japan has so far hanged 15 inmates this year, matching a 2008 record since the nation started publicly announcing executions in 1998.