AMNESTY SLAMS INCREASE IN JAPANESE HANGINGS

Amnesty International voiced "great concern" about a recent increase in the number of executions in Japan as well as the secretive nature of police investigations. Japan executed nine men in 2007, with at least 107 prisoners still left on death row, Amnesty said as it released its annual report. "The eyes of the international community are increasingly on Japan's actions," said Makoto Teranaka, secretary general of Amnesty International Japan. "The number of executions is rising, bucking the global trend. The number of crimes in Japan is decreasing, but the number of death sentences and executions is rising. This is a great concern," he told AFP.