Japan's Death Row System: A Tale of Isolation and Psychological Despair

Strategic Insights -

The world's longest-serving death row prisoner, Iwao Hakamada, has spent 41 years in prison for a murder that his lawyer now believes he did not commit. Hakamada's case exemplifies the cruelty inherent in Japan's treatment of its most heinous criminals. Death row prisoners in Japan are subjected to inhumane conditions, including solitary confinement, limited exercise periods, and a punitive regime of silence and isolation. The uncertainty of their executions, which can be carried out at any moment, drives many inmates into the depths of psychological despair.

Key Takeaways:

  • Amnesty International has accused Japan's penal system of driving condemned men insane after subjecting them to, on average, at least 7 years of "cruel, inhuman and degrading" treatment on death row.
  • Death row prisoners in Japan are locked away in solitary confinement, banned from talking to other inmates, and permitted just 2 or 3 exercise periods a week.
  • Condemned men learn of the timing of their execution only hours before they are led away to the gallows, causing a high level of uncertainty and mental anguish.
  • At least 5 death row inmates are mentally ill due to prolonged isolation and uncertainty, despite international law and the Japanese criminal code banning the execution of prisoners deemed "insane".
  • Japan's justice system has been criticized for its treatment of death row prisoners, including refusing to grant commutations or pardons to those who have spent decades on death row.
  • Iwao Hakamada's lawyer claims that decades of isolation and fear have left their client in a state of "institutional psychosis".
  • The new justice minister, Keiko Chiba, has indicated that she will handle each case with caution, raising hopes of a change in policy towards abolishing the death penalty in Japan.

Statistics:

  • Within the past 3 years (Jan 2006 to Jan 2009), Japan hanged 32 men, including 5 in their 70s.
  • In 2008, the number of executions reached 15, the highest for more than 30 years.
  • More than 80% of Japanese people support capital punishment, partly in response to the 1995 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway.
  • 102 death row prisoners remain on death row in Japan.
  • No executions took place in Japan between 1989 and 1993, and for 15 months from October 2005, due to justice ministers refusing to sign execution orders.

Sources:

  • GlobalPost (http://links.newstex.com/link?p=24534&c=83&s=GPST-5376-38180739&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalpost.com%2F)
  • Wikipedia (http://links.newstex.com/link?p=24534&c=83&s=GPST-5376-38180739&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FG7)
  • New York Times (http://links.newstex.com/link?p=24534&c=83&s=GPST-5376-38180739&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F09%2F17%2Fus%2F17ohio.html)