JAPAN. NEW GOVERNMENT LEAVES DOOR OPEN TO EXECUTIONS

Japan’s new justice minister left open the door to executions after his predecessor refused to authorize any hangings. New Justice Minister Jinen Nagase, appointed on September 26 as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office, said Japan needed to be “careful” on the matter.
“The death penalty is an extremely important issue and should be handled carefully,” said Nagase, 62, a longtime behind-the-scenes official of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
“But it is also important to carry out affirmed judgments. I want to make a decision carefully by following the law,” he told reporters.
His predecessor Seiken Sugiura, who had been in office since October 2005r, had opposed the death penalty, saying it went against his Buddhist beliefs.