All posts tagged Japan

JAPAN – Hakamada Birthday Campaign “Fight for a Fighter”

Japan Hakamada logo

Below is a campaign initiated by ADPAN member Amnesty International (AI) Japan with a request that you take action.

Outline

Hakamada Iwao’s birthday is coming up on March 10. AI Japan are organising a public action in Tokyo to mark this occasion, and would like to show solidarity and support from around the world.

 1) Take a Photo

Please take a photo with you holding a message of support in your left hand and showing a fighting pose. Make a tight fist and look to your right (like the logo posted above and the photo below). We have prepared a blank card that you can use to write your message (available via this link hakamada_B4). Please be sure to write your message with big letters so that we can read it.

Japan Hakamada action example

2) Send your photo to Amnesty International Japan

Please send your photos to the e-mail address below so that we can use them at the birthday event in Tokyo on 10 March and future campaigning events.

Address to send the photos: amnestyinternationaljapan@gmail.com

3) Share your photo on Twitter

You can also use Twitter to express your solidarity with Hakamada. From 1 – 10 March, please share your photo on Twitter and we will collect them. Please do not forget to put a hash tag #hakamada at the end of any tweet, or we cannot find your precious photos.

For inquiry:

Amnesty International Japan

Campaigner

Hiroka Shoji (shoji@amnesty.or.jp)

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by buddhasbreakfast on 01/03/2013  •  Permalink
Posted in ADPAN Unfair Trials
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Posted by buddhasbreakfast on 01/03/2013

http://adpan.net/2013/03/01/japan-hakamada-birthday-campaign-fight-for-a-fighter/

JAPAN – Three more executions – ADPAN fears more may follow

21 February 2013

The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) condemns the executions of Masahiro Kanagawa, 29, Kaoru Kobayashi, 44, and Keiki Kano, 62, carried out in Japan on Thursday 21 February.

The executions are the first to take place in Japan since Prime Minister Abe’s Liberal Democrat Party came to power in December 2012.

Masahiro Kanagawa, 29, was hanged at Tokyo Detention Centre, along with Kaoru Kobayashi, 44, at Osaka Detention Centre and Keiki Kano, 62, at Nagoya Detention Centre. It is believed that both Kobayashi and Kano were in the process of preparing to apply for retrials.

Justice Minister Tanigaki, who took office in December 2012, has publicly expressed his support for the death penalty. During Abe’s last term as Prime Minister ten people were hanged in less than a year.

ADPAN fears that today’s executions may see an acceleration in the number of executions under the current administration. This would be in spite of calls from multiple UN bodies for Japan to work towards abolition. In October last year, during the Second Review of Japan’s human rights situation by the UN Human Rights Council, as many as 24 countries made recommendations related to reviewing the use of the death penalty. Japan stands out as one of the few industrialised countries to still use the death penalty.

It is estimated that 134 people are on death row in Japan. Nineteen offences carry the death penalty, although in practice it is only imposed for murder. Executions are by hanging and are typically carried out in secret. No advance notice is given to their families and lawyers. The death row inmates themselves are only notified on the morning they are hanged living under constant fear of execution.

ADPAN is also concerned that Japan relies heavily on the daiyo kangoku system, which allows the police to detain and interrogate a suspect for up to twenty-three days with very limited access to legal counsel and puts suspects at risk of torture and ill-treatment.

ADPAN opposes the death penalty in all cases, and calls upon the Japanese government to place a moratorium on all executions, to commute all death sentences and to work toward abolition of the death penalty for all crimes.

ADPAN member CPR issued a statement condemning the executions: http://www.cpr.jca.apc.org/archive/statement#1160

ADPAN members in Japan:

Center for Prisoners Rights

Forum 90

Follow ADPAN on Twitter @ADPANetwork

 

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by buddhasbreakfast on 21/02/2013  •  Permalink
Posted in News and Developments
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Posted by buddhasbreakfast on 21/02/2013

http://adpan.net/2013/02/21/japan-three-more-executions-adpan-fears-more-may-follow/

JAPAN – Twitter action @Japan_Homu ‘Stop Executions’!

On 21 February, three death-row inmates were hanged in Japan, which are the first executions since the new government came to power in December 2012.

Masahiro Kanagawa, 29, was hanged at Tokyo Detention Centre, Kaoru Kobayashi, 44, at Osaka Detention Centre and Keiki Kano, 62, at Nagoya Detention Centre. Kobayashi and Kano were executed despite both being in the process of preparing to apply for retrials.

There are 134 inmates on death row in Japan, and there are fears that this signals the start of a new wave of executions under the new regime.

Objective:

Ensure that the new Minister of Justice, Sadakazu Tanigaki, hears our condemnation of these hangings as soon as possible, to deter him from signing off on future executions.

Action:  

Tweet the following messages from your channels directly to the Minister of Justice’s twitter account (@Japan_Homu).  Please include the Japanese translation and the #deathpenalty tag.

Suggested tweets:

Start of a new wave of executions in #Japan? Tell new gov’t no more /死刑を止める新しい流れを作ろう。新政権に対して死刑執行を停止するよう訴えよう@Japan_Homu #deathpenalty

RT to tell #Japan to stop executions as three are hanged/リツイートをして日本に、死刑執行停止を停止を呼びかけよう@Japan_Homu #deathpenalty

Three hanged by new gov’t in #Japan – urge them to stop executions /新政権下で3人の死刑が執行された。死刑を停止するよう求めよう@Japan_Homu #deathpenalty

Supporting documents:

An ADPAN press release will be issued shortly.

Updates to the action will be posted here on the ADPAN blog. Follow us @ADPANetwork.

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by buddhasbreakfast on 21/02/2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Urgent Appeals / Actions
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Posted by buddhasbreakfast on 21/02/2013

http://adpan.net/2013/02/21/japan-twitter-action-japan_homu-stop-executions/

JAPAN – Open Letter to Minister of Justice Tanigaki calling for a Moratorium (Japanese)

pdf of letter in Japanese to Minister of Justice Tanigaki, dated 27 December 2012

1212 Japanese letter to M of J moratorium

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by lvischer on 08/01/2013  •  Permalink
Posted in News and Developments
Tagged ,

Posted by lvischer on 08/01/2013

http://adpan.net/2013/01/08/japan-open-letter-to-minister-of-justice-tanigaki-calling-for-a-moratorium-japanese/

JAPAN – Open Letter to Minister of Justice Tanigaki (English)

27 December 2012

Dear Minister

Open Letter: Establishing a Moratorium on Executions in Japan

On the occasion of your appointment as Japan’s new Minister of Justice, Amnesty International takes this opportunity to urge you to introduce a moratorium on executions and to take positive steps to initiate a national public debate on the death penalty in Japan, with a view to its abolition.

Japan is among the minority of countries which still carries out executions. Only 21 out of 198 countries carried out executions in 2011. Japan refrained from using the death penalty in 2011 but has carried out seven executions in 2012. The only other G8 country to carry out executions is the USA.

The fourth UN General Assembly (UNGA) draft resolution[1] calling for a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, which was adopted in November at the Third Committee of the UNGA, received 110 votes in favour, 39 votes against and 36 abstentions, the highest support for such resolutions to date. The plenary session of the UNGA adopted the draft resolution in December. Closer to home, Mongolia ratified the Second Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in January, committing the country to ending use of the death penalty.

Your predecessors have noted the need for Japan to consider the worldwide trend toward abolition of the death penalty. In November 2012, former Minister of Justice Makoto Taki stated that “…countries in Europe have abolished death penalty … and the UN also stated we need to stop executions wherever possible … we need to take into account these international trends”. Japan’s continued use of the death penalty puts it at odds with this unmistakable international trend.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; guilt, innocence or other characteristics of the individual; or the method used by the state to carry out the execution. Our organization calls on you and the Ministry of Justice in Japan to immediately introduce a moratorium on executions and initiate a national public debate aimed at promoting full abolition of the death penalty in Japan.

Yours sincerely

Salil Shetty

Secretary General

Hideki Wakabayashi

Secretary General – Amnesty International Japan

[1] Draft resolution A/C.3/67/L.44/Rev.1.

pdf of letter:

271212 Japan AI lettter appealing for moratorium

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by lvischer on 08/01/2013  •  Permalink
Posted in News and Developments
Tagged ,

Posted by lvischer on 08/01/2013

http://adpan.net/2013/01/08/japan-open-letter-to-minister-of-justice-tanigaki-english/

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