JAPAN. JFBA DELEGATION TO EUROPE TO STUDY IMPACT OF DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION

the Japan Federation of Bar Associations said it would send a delegation to Germany and Britain later in the month to study how abolition of capital punishment had affected the two countries.
The 13-member delegation was also expected to research the two countries' legal systems, including ways to prevent death-penalty misjudgements and support for crime victims, during the trip from August 20 to 28, it said. Delegation members planned to visit prisons, research centers and victim-support groups in both countries, while attending an international study session on the abolition of capital punishment. The JFBA adopted a resolution in October 2004 urging the government and Diet to enact a temporary statute to suspend executions while the public discusses the issue. According to the federation, 72 people were on death row in Japan as of April 2004.