Lawmakers opposed to Japan's use of capital punishment...

Lawmakers opposed to Japan's use of capital punishment plan to submit to the 2003 Diet a bill to set up an ad hoc death penalty commission to encourage public discussions on whether or not it should be abolished, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported.
The Diet Member's League for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, headed by former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) policy chief Shizuka Kamei, wants to draft the bill's basic principles during the current Diet, the daily reported in its evening edition.
The commission will consist of experts and lawmakers and examine the pros and cons of the death penalty system, such as through conducting research overseas in countries where it has been abolished and holding hearings with experts and the public.
The league also plans to seek an amendment to the penal code with a view to creating a special life term that will not permit parole before 20-30 years of prison service.
The bipartisan parliamentary league was formed in April 1994 and has 121 members.