It was confirmed Wednesday that no execution would be carried out in 2011, the first time in 19 years that the state has not carried out the death penalty during a calendar year.
There has been at least one execution per year since 1993 when then Justice Minister Masaharu Gotoda approved of the first execution in more than three years.
Under the administration of the Democratic Party of Japan, however, there has been a succession of justice ministers holding cautious stances toward execution, which put a halt to executions. (Yomiuri)
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