Japanese Justice Minister Keiko Chiba said yesterday she was concerned that China's execution of three Japanese convicted drug smugglers could harm ties.
“I am concerned about relations between Japan and China when I think of the uncomfortable feeling or reaction felt by a majority of the Japanese people,” Chiba told reporters.
“I wish China had thought about this point more,” she said.
Beijing informed Japanese diplomats early yesterday about the execution of Teruo Takeda, 67, Hironori Ukai, 48, and Katsuo Mori, 67, a Japanese official at the foreign ministry said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada later said: “Although a crime is a crime, as a Japanese national, I find it very regrettable.”
“However, each country has its own laws and judicial system and we must respond to the decision in a calm manner,” he said.
On Tuesday, China executed Mitsunobu Akano, 65, the first Japanese citizen to be put to death there since diplomatic ties were re-established in 1972.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama also called Akano's case “regrettable,” but both sides said they hoped relations would not be affected.
Japan also uses capital punishment, usually for multiple homicides.
Chiba has long been a supporter of London-based rights group Amnesty International and other anti-death penalty organizations.
Since taking up her post seven months ago, she has been tight-lipped about her opposition to capital punishment, but she has also so far signed no execution orders for the almost 100 Japanese prisoners now on death row.
Amnesty in a September report condemned Japan's death penalty system, saying conditions are so “cruel, inhuman and degrading” that they drive many death row prisoners insane.
“We strongly protest against all the executions China has carried out, including the ones this time,” Amnesty's Japan chapter said yesterday.
It also said it “regrets” that the Japanese government failed to mount a strong protest against China over the executions.
Japan “should have clearly expressed its opposition to the executions, particularly because they were for non-violent crimes,” it said in a statement.
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