Masaharu Harada, 53, of Aichi Prefecture, the brother...

Masaharu Harada, 53, of Aichi Prefecture, the brother of a victim of convicted killer Toshihiko Hasegawa, 50, met with Justice Minister Masahiko Komura and asked that Hasegawa be taken off death row.
Masaharu Harada, said, "I want death-row inmate Hasegawa to be taken off death row. There is nothing that can be gained by the death penalty, and I want him to live to apologize and atone."
Hasegawa, on death row at the Nagoya Detention House, was convicted of murdering three men from 1979 to 1983 and sentenced to death in 1993.
According to Harada and Justice Ministry officials, Komura said, "It doesn't mean that the death sentence will not be carried out just because the victim's family is against it, but it will become a factor in making a decision when execution is due."