By YUTO YONEDA/ Staff Writer
November 5, 2021 at 18:09 JST
Lawyers representing death row inmates head to the Osaka District Court in Osaka on Nov. 4. (Yuto Yoneda)
OSAKA--Two death row inmates are suing the government over the “unconstitutional” practice of carrying out executions on the same day the condemned are informed they will die.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs said they filed the lawsuit with the Osaka District Court on Nov. 4, seeking 22 million yen ($193,500) in compensation.
They did not disclose the names of the plaintiffs.
According to the lawsuit, the Justice Ministry had previously given advance notice to inmates about when their death penalties would be carried out.
But now, the notification comes only on the morning of the day of the execution to avoid “deeply disturbing death row inmates’ minds.”
The United States, which also uses capital punishment, gives death row inmates three months’ notice of their execution in some cases, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs said the current notification practice does not give inmates enough time to contact lawyers to file an appeal against the execution order.
They argue the practice violates Article 31 of the Constitution, which states: “No person shall be deprived of life or liberty, nor shall any other criminal penalty be imposed, except according to procedure established by law.”
“The advance notice is crucial to protect the human dignity (of death row inmates),” said Yutaka Ueda, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.
A Justice Ministry official said the ministry will make an appropriate response to the lawsuit when the trial begins.
VOX POPULI: Falsely convicted of murder, Sakae Menda fought for human rights
December 7, 2020
S. Korea court rejects laborers’ claims against Japanese firms
June 7, 2021
Ex-death row inmate’s acquittal in 1966 case a step closer
December 23, 2020
Residents near coal-fired plant lose lawsuit over plan to add units
March 16, 2021
17 Japanese firms face South Korean wartime damages suit
March 18, 2021
Court retracts NRA approval of safety measures at nuclear plant
December 4, 2020
Stories about memories of cherry blossoms solicited from readers
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series on the death of a Japanese woman that sparked a debate about criminal justice policy in the United States
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
