a record 42 defendants were sentenced to death in 2004 by courts in Japan

a record 42 defendants were sentenced to death in 2004 by courts in Japan, while 68 death-row inmates did not appeal their sentences or lost appeals, according to a Kyodo News survey based on court data. The number of death sentences in 2004, up by 12 from the year before, was the highest since 1980 when courts started taking the data.
The figures reflected moves to impose severer sentences amid increases in the number of heinous crimes. Courts also tended to give tough penalties in consideration of the feelings of crime victims and their families. District courts sentenced 14 people to death in 2004, while high courts handed down death penalties on 15 people.
The Supreme Court sentenced 13 to death, its first double-digit figure since 1980. The number of death sentences ranged from six to 26 between 1980 and 2000. But it topped 30 in 2001 and 2003. Meanwhile, two prisoners were executed in 2004.