High court rejects disclosure of design drawing of
execution chamber
July 30th 2008
TOKYO —
The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday rejected a request by an
Osaka lawyer that the state disclose a drawing of the death
chamber at the Osaka detention house, upholding a lower
court ruling. Presiding Judge Tatsuki Inada said, “As it is
a detailed and precise design drawing, its
disclosure will make it easier to help death row inmates
break away or for outside people to break them
out.”
The plaintiff, Tomoyoshi Emura, asked the court to rescind
the state’s decision in 2004 not to disclose the drawing,
compiled by the Justice Ministry in 1965, which shows the
allocations of each room and gateway as well as the
thickness of the walls. In January this year, the Tokyo
District Court rejected the suit, saying the
disclosure may affect the mental states of death row
inmates and will cause trouble in the execution
process.