JAPAN. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESSES JAPAN TO IMPROVE RIGHTS RECORD

Amnesty International called on Japan to abolish the death penalty and improve treatment of refugees and prisoners, saying its bid to join the UN Security Council put it under greater scrutiny.
Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan said Japan could lead by example in a region with vast problems in human rights.
Amnesty had strongly criticized Japan in the past for the lack of transparency in the penal system, allowing prisons to implement arbitrary and sometimes cruel punishment.
Japan drafted guidelines in May outlining the rights of inmates. Khan said Japan had improved its treatment of prisoners, but it "needs to do more".
Khan also called on Japan to abolish the death penalty.