JAPAN. KOIZUMI CAUTIONS SUGIURA OVER REMARKS ON DEATH PENALTY

Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged new Justice Minister Seiken Sugiura to be cautious when expressing a personal view on controversial issues, a warning against his remarks the previous day in which he said he would not sign any orders for executions. "He'd better distinguish between expressing a personal view and making official comments as a cabinet minister," Koizumi, a supporter of the death sentence, told reporters when asked about his one-on-one meeting with Sugiura in the morning. At a news conference on November 1, Sugiura was reported to have again expressed reservations about capital punishment, saying, "I think in the bottom of my heart that it is unforgivable under any conditions to claim a life."