死刑執行

(Mainichi Japan) September 11, 2008
Japan executes 3 death row inmates under new justice minister's orders
死刑：３人執行　保岡法相の命令は８月の就任以降初

Three people on death row were executed Thursday, the Ministry of Justice announced, marking the first executions in Japan in about three months.
法務省は１１日、３人の死刑を執行したと発表した。

The executed inmates were identified as Yoshiyuki Mantani, 68, Mineteru Yamamoto, 68, and Isamu Hirano, 61. It was the first time for executions to be carried out under the orders of Justice Minister Okiharu Yasuoka since he assumed his post in August.
執行されたのは▽萬谷義幸（６８）＝大阪拘置所収容▽山本峰照（６８）＝同▽平野勇（６１）＝東京拘置所収容－－の各死刑囚。死刑執行は６月１７日以来３カ月ぶりで、保岡興治法相の命令は８月の就任以降で初めて。

Executions in Japan were halted for a period of about 3 years, 4 months up until March 1993, as no execution orders were issued by justice ministers during the period. Since executions resumed, 73 inmates have been put to death. There are now 102 confirmed inmates on death row.
死刑執行は法相の命令が出なかった約３年４カ月の中断後、９３年３月に再開された。再開後に執行された死刑囚は計７３人になった。また、確定死刑囚は１０２人になった。

Mantani was convicted of committing four crimes including stabbing a 19-year-old woman to death in a robbery attempt, and assaulting an 18-year-old woman with a steel pipe, between April 1987 and September that year. He had earlier been handed a life sentence for robbery and murder, and was on parole at the time.
確定判決などによると、萬谷死刑囚は強盗殺人罪の無期懲役刑で受刑し８７年に仮出所後４～９カ月の間に、大阪市内で女性（当時１９歳）を強盗目的で刺殺、女性（当時１８歳）を鉄パイプで殴るなど４件の事件を起こした。

Yamamoto was convicted of stabbing to death his 68-year-old cousin and his 75-year-old wife in Kobe in 2004, and stealing money.
山本死刑囚は０４年、神戸市でいとこの男性（当時６８歳）と妻（当時７５歳）を刺殺し現金などを奪った。

Hirano was handed the death penalty for breaking into the home of the operator of a farm where he was living and working in 1994, and killing the 72-year-old operator and his 68-year-old wife. He was also convicted of stealing cash and other items, and burning the home down.
平野死刑囚は９４年、以前に住み込みで働いていた栃木県市貝町の牧場経営者（当時７２歳）宅に侵入し、経営者と妻（当時６８歳）を殺害。現金などを奪い経営者宅に放火して全焼させた。

The execution of Hirano was carried out 23 months after his death penalty was confirmed. It is rare for a death penalty to be served within two years of the conviction becoming fixed. Yamamoto's death sentence was the first handed down under a system initiated to speed up trials, and only three hearings were heard before the case was brought to a close.
平野死刑囚は死刑確定から１年１１カ月での執行となった。２年未満での執行は異例だ。山本死刑囚は、期日間整理手続きが採用された公判で初の死刑判決を受けた。公判は３回の短期で結審した。

Yasuoka also served as Minister of Justice under the second Mori Cabinet between July 2000 and December that year, during which time he ordered the execution of three people on death row. Under former Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama, death row inmates were executed on four occasions -- about once every two months. The timing of the latest executions means they are continuing at a similar pace.
保岡法相は００年７～１２月の第２次森内閣でも法相を務め、３人の死刑執行を命令した。鳩山邦夫前法相下では４回の執行がほぼ２カ月おきに行われたが、今回もそれに近いペースが維持された。

Appearing in a news conference on Thursday morning, Yasuoka said, "I screened the cases carefully and strictly, and carried out (the decision) firmly as the person responsible for protecting law and order. The decision wasn't timed."
保岡法相は１１日午前、法務省で会見し「慎重厳正に審査し、法秩序を守る責任者として毅然（きぜん）と行った。時期を選んだわけではない」と説明。

Commenting on why he announced the executions at a new conference, following in the footsteps of the previous justice minister, Yasuoka said, "The citizen judge system which will be applied in serious crimes is set to begin. There is significance in publicly releasing as much information as possible."
前法相に続き執行を会見で発表したことについては「重大事件を対象とする裁判員制度も始まる。可能な範囲で公開することは意義があると思う」と述べた。

（毎日新聞　2008年9月11日　11時17分（最終更新　9月11日　13時00分）