Joint local statement on three executions in Japan

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On 21 December 2021, the government of Japan carried out the execution of three prisoners, Yasutaka Fujishiro, Tomoaki Takanezawa and Mitsunori Onogawa, its first executions since 26 December 2019 and first under the administration of Prime Minister Kishida.

In keeping with our consistent strong and principled position against the death penalty, we oppose the use of capital punishment under any circumstances, and continue our active pursuit of its abolition worldwide. The death penalty violates the inalienable right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Capital punishment also fails to act as a deterrent to crime and it is impossible to reverse in the case of errors.

Therefore, the European Union Delegation, the Heads of Mission of EU Member States and the Heads of Mission of Iceland, Norway and Switzerland repeat their call to the Japanese authorities to adopt a moratorium on executions, recalling the past two years and the period of 20 months prior to March 2012 during which no executions took place in Japan.

Furthermore, alongside like-minded organisations and individuals in Japan and elsewhere, we call for an urgent and thorough review of capital punishment within the criminal justice system, and call on Japanese authorities to promote a wide public debate on this issue.