Photo/Illutration Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi wipes the sweat from his brow during a session of the Upper House Judicial Affairs Committee on Nov. 10. (Koichi Ueda)

British author George Orwell (1903-1950) served as a police officer in Burma during the British colonial era.

“A Hanging,” a short essay, is said to be based on the execution of a prisoner a young Orwell witnessed.

“It is curious, but till that moment I had never realized what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man,” a passage goes. “When I saw the prisoner step aside to avoid the puddle, I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of cutting a life short when it is in full tide.”

Such an awareness must be completely alien to Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi.

Speaking about his portfolio, Hanashi said the only time a justice minister tops the noontime TV news is when he or she approves the execution of a death-row convict.

I was stunned speechless by his sheer insensitivity. Does he have any understanding of the gravity of the state’s act of taking the life of a human being, even that of a criminal?

Among past justice ministers, at least one witnessed an execution in person.

“I thought it is irresponsible to just sign off on the death order and consider my job done,” the politician said.

Hanashi’s remarks not only overrode any argument against the death penalty but also trampled upon the anguish of all conflicted individuals who are involved in the administration of the capital punishment system.

Let us not forget there are people awaiting execution even as we speak.

Sakae Menda (1925-2020), a former death-row convict who was exonerated by retrial in 1983, told of his harrowing experiences.

An eerie hush would befall the detention house in the morning when prisoners did not know whose execution was due.

Imagining the sound of the guard’s footsteps stopping in front of his cell filled Menda with unspeakable dread.

“Drops of cold sweat kept dripping down my back,” he recalled.

Any politician who cannot imagine the “weight” of human life ought to be shown the exit, immediately.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 11

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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