BEIJING - CHINA executed three convicted Japanese drug smugglers on Friday, state media said, just days after another Japanese citizen was put to death for the same offence.
The trio were executed in the northeastern province of Liaoning, Xinhua news agency reported, citing an announcement from China's supreme court. The men were identified as Teruo Takeda, Hironori Ukai and Katsuo Mori.
On Tuesday, China executed 65-year-old Mitsunobu Akano - the first Japanese citizen to be put to death in the country since diplomatic ties were re-established in 1972.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama called Akano's case 'regrettable,' but both sides said they hoped relations would not be affected.
Ukai, 48, was arrested in Sept 2003 with a Korean accomplice at an airport in the port city of Dalian with about 1.5 kg of narcotics hidden in his clothing. Two months earlier, police nabbed Mori, 67, in the provincial capital Shenyang as he tried to board a plane for Japan with 1.25 kg of drugs in his possession. Takeda was convicted of buying 5 kg of methamphetamine in China in June 2003 and arranging to have it smuggled to Japan, said Xinhua.
After the execution of Akano on Tuesday, PM Hatoyama said his government would 'work hard to ensure that this does not lead to cracks in the Japan-China relationship' and asked the Japanese people to remain calm. Japanese Justice Minister Keiko Chiba had expressed concern that the case 'could trigger a backlash from the Japanese public,' according to Jiji Press.
Source: AFP, April 9, 2010
Executions could harm ties
TOKYO - JAPAN'S Justice Minister Keiko Chiba said on Friday she was concerned that China's execution of three Japanese convicted drug smugglers could harm ties.
'I am concerned about relations between Japan and China when I think of the uncomfortable feeling or reaction felt by a majority of the Japanese people,' Ms Chiba told reporters. 'I wish China had thought about this point more.'
China informed Japanese diplomats on Friday about the execution of Teruo Takeda, 67, Hironori Ukai, 48, and Katsuo Mori, 67, a Japanese foreign ministry official said. On Tuesday, China executed 65-year-old Mitsunobu Akano - the first Japanese citizen to be put to death there since diplomatic ties were re-established in 1972.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama called Akano's case 'regrettable', but both sides said they hoped relations would not be affected. Japan also uses capital punishment, usually for multiple homicides.
Ms Chiba has long been a supporter of London-based rights group Amnesty International and a member of other anti-death penalty organisations. Since taking up her post seven months ago, she has been tight-lipped about her opposition to capital punishment, but she has also so far signed no execution orders for the almost 100 Japanese prisoners now on death row.
Amnesty in a September report condemned Japan's death penalty system, saying conditions are so 'cruel, inhuman and degrading' that they drive many death row prisoners insane.
Source: AFP, April 9, 2010
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