Death
penalty has public support: Fukuda
Wednesday
18th June, 07:23 AM JST
TOKYO
—
Prime
Minister Yasuo Fukuda suggested Tuesday that Japan will
maintain the death penalty as a majority of the Japanese
public support capital punishment although he recognizes
there are calls for its abolition. ‘‘There is an opinion
that Japan should do away with the death penalty, but that
opinion is still a minority one in Japan,’’ Fukuda said on
the day the government hanged three inmates.
‘‘Public
opinion in support of continuing it is stronger. We don’t
need to try to stop what we have been doing,’’ the premier
said. ‘‘But we do need to think about the issue thoroughly
keeping in mind the trend of world opinion, although it is
not urgent.’’