Justice chief protests being called 'specter of death' in newspaper column

Saturday 21st June, 06:59 AM JST

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smartacus at 12:06 PM JST - 21st June

I wonder how many people on this thread, who are criticizing and insulting the justice minister cheered the execution last week of Miyazaki and would like to see the Akihabara killer executed. You can't have it both ways folks. If you support the death penalty, then the justice minister has to sign off on it. Someone has to carry it out, so it is pointless calling them names for it.

I myself support the death penalty and I am sure that signing off on such a decision cannot be easy for the justice minister. It would not be an easy decision for anyone. So enough with the insults please.
kinniku at 12:22 PM JST - 21st June

smartacus,

Actually. This is the point I and others raised earlier in this discussion. The issue of Hatoyama being a moron and the capital punishment laws in Japan are separate subjects. It just happens that presently a moron is head of the justice ministry. Even if a non-moron were the head of the ministry, they would still have to follow the laws of the nation.
cleo at 12:49 PM JST - 21st June

Even if a non-moron were the head of the ministry, they would still have to follow the laws of the nation.

And the laws of the nation state that the execution of the death penalty must be authorised by the Minister of Justice. All a non-moron has to do is not authorise it. He'd still be following the law of the nation.
Mex at 01:06 PM JST - 21st June

Well lets be possitive, somebody has to take the responsability of doing such a decitions, I thing the familys who lost their ons, they desrve, this desition, good for mr. Hatoyama Gambattte! good man!
saintseiya at 01:36 PM JST - 21st June

There are two problems with the discussion and the issue over all:

1) How can we be 100% sure that 100% of the convicted are actually guilty?????

2) Does the penalty actually have any effect on future criminals?

My opinion is that because of point 1) the death penalty should be banned, thought point two might not affect the psychos like Kato, but at least every Yakuza, robber, thieve . . .will think twice if killing will bring him any further . . . !

In germany you get 15 years for killing, and if you behave after 6-7 years you're out, worth trying?!
pathat at 03:46 PM JST - 21st June

Mr. Hatoyama: I applaud you for sincerely discharging your duties as Justice Minister. Please continue to carry out your duties in the responsible manner that you have thus far.
Patrick Smash at 04:10 PM JST - 21st June

pathat

Are you sure you like a man with this record:

Says he has friends who hang out with terrorists. Said he knew the Bali bombings would happen before they did, but never told or warned anyone. Thinks people should be guilty until proven innocent. States that police should be able to use torture to force confessions, otherwise they couldn't do their jobs. Thinks people should be sentenced to death automatically without involving the justice minister. Believes there should be fewer defence lawyers as they are a waste of money and the police never make mistakes. Says interrogations should not be recorded, and Japan should not have juries.

He was given the job by Abe because both their granddaddy's were PMs. He ain't there on merit, or because of his awesome intellect. Check his past. He even left the LDP to form a new party and no one supported him so he went crawling back again. He's a complete arse and couldn't be a cabinet minister anywhere else on earth. He will see innocent people hanged if he hasn't already, and he couldn't care less. He's a standing joke here.
pathat at 05:43 PM JST - 21st June

Patrick:

I agree with a lot of what you say about Hatoyama and his track record.

My comments are in reference to him carrying out his duties as Justice Minister with regard to upholding the law as it is currently written pertaining to capital punishment-unlike Seiken Sugiura, one of the Justice Ministers under Koizumi-who allowed his personal beliefs to interfere with his official duties by not approving any executions.
Patrick Smash at 06:25 PM JST - 21st June

pathat

We agree this time basically. As the law stands he can sign executions, and he does so. That's not his only duty though, and otherwise he is pretty awful.
Rekishika at 06:42 PM JST - 21st June

Well, one can argue a lot about the death penalty. In answer to those who asked about 100% certainty about 100% of the defendants being guilty, the system used in European law is based on pushing the number of innocent convictions back to 20%. That is a sobering thought, the system that says people are innocent until proven beyond a reasonable doubt guilty, that assigns them defence lawyers, that acquits the defendant on the least mistake of the prosecution and that will generally give a defendant every benefit of the doubt is still forced to accept that 1 in 5 people are sent to jail for something they did not do...

But the issue is another one here, and it's basically in the words of Mr. Hatoyama. One can feel it is regretfully necessary to sign executions, but I feel that if you feel pride about it, you are sacrificing your sense of justice and ethics for thirst for vengeance and blood. Because there can be no circumstances in this life where someone can be proud for taking a life.
kinniku at 09:00 PM JST - 21st June

cleo,

And the laws of the nation state that the execution of the death penalty must be authorised by the Minister of Justice. All a non-moron has to do is not authorise it. He'd still be following the law of the nation.

Respectfully, this is not exactly correct. The Minister of Justice, moron or not, cannot decide to not authorise a lawfully court decided death penalty sentence without very specific and legal reasons. If they do, they are in fact not following the letter of the law. It is not the choice or right of the Minister of Justice to decide without good reason to ignore the courts and judges in Japan.
Scrote at 09:43 PM JST - 21st June

Hatoyama is a bloodthirsty swine, just like his mate Abe, who clearly enjoys playing God. If they had the death penalty for embezzling public finds he wouldn't be in such a rush to sign the death warrants, as most of the LDP would be strung up.

Besides, doesn't the law state that executions should be carried out within six months of the sentence being finalised? If that's the case, are executions after six months legal? Or is it some sort of "administrative guidance", rather than a law?
damexicanbuda at 01:54 AM JST - 22nd June

Bravo Mr. Hatoyama!!! Japan has too many sick and twisted individuals who do not deserve to be out on the streets, like Kato in Akihabara and this other sick fool, Miyazaki, who not only killed little girls, but he may have also eaten their body parts and drank their blood! I want to hear from all of the Anti Death Penalty folks here. Do you really think Miyazaki after a couple of years would fine enough to live right next to you and your own kids?? NO!! He belongs deep in hell and I do not mean on the streets of Tokyo nor Osaka! So Hatoyamasan bravo! Banzai!!!!!
cleo at 02:30 AM JST - 22nd June

kinniku -

The Minister of Justice, moron or not, cannot decide to not authorise a lawfully court decided death penalty sentence without very specific and legal reasons.

Nevertheless it has been done in the past by less moronic, less bloodthirsty Ministers than Hatoyama. Between 1989 and 1993 there was an effective moritorium when 4 successive Ministers refused to authorise executions; and Hatoyama's predecessor Sugiura Seiken stated publicly that he would not sign execution warrants.

damexicanbuda -

Do you really think Miyazaki after a couple of years would fine enough to live right next to you and your own kids??

It would be a truely weird justice system that would release the likes of Miyazaki 'after a couple of years'. The alternative to the death sentence is not 'just let them go'. The inside of a cramped solitary cell can be a good alternative to real hell.
kinniku at 09:07 AM JST - 22nd June

cleo,

Absolutely. However, that is just avoiding the issue and forcing other ministers to make the choice again in the future. If those appointed Ministers of Justice cannot carry out their jobs(for moral or other reasons), they should not take them.

If it is the law that Japanese people want changed, they should work to have it changed. However, I am not convinced that most Japanese want the law changed.

Remember, all those people on death row still sat on death row waiting. The moritorium did not make them go away. It just delayed their sentences.