14 January 2008 :

The number of people sentenced to death in Japanese courts in 2007 rose to 46, the highest in nearly three decades, local media reported.
There were at least 106 death-row inmates in 2007, a record high since 1980 when such data first became available, Kyodo News agency reported. The number of death sentences ordered by Japanese courts last year rose to 46 from 44 in 2006.
Nine executions were carried out in 2007, the most in a year since 1980, Kyodo said.