Death Penalty: A Japanese Perspective

THINKING ABOUT DEATH PENALTY FROM THE JAPANESE PERSPECTIVE, BY YUTO

Author: Yuto

First-year student at the University of Tsukuba

Permission to publish was granted on December 21, 2021.

Is the death penalty really necessary in today’s Japan? Nowadays, the death penalty is often criticized for its concern for human rights. Human rights are indeed an important factor. However, regardless of this, I have my doubts about the significance of the death penalty. This is because I believe that punishment is for the purpose of remorse.

In the past, torture and capital punishment may have been necessary as a deterrent to local rebellions and coups d’etat. The more brutal the killing, the more effective the deterrent. Ancient Rome and China had methods of capital punishment that would be unthinkable in modern times. However, in today’s Japan, torture is banned, and the death penalty is carried out quietly without being shown to anyone. In such a situation, the deterrent effect would be minimal. The death penalty has thus become not as necessary as it used to be.

Rather, in today’s world, emphasis is placed on the rehabilitation and remorse of the individual rather than deterrence. A good example is Mr. Iizuka, who became the talk of the town as a senior citizen. There were very few people who argued that Iizuka should be punished heavily. Of course, there were calls for the death penalty for Mr. Iizuka, but that was because he showed no remorse. Those who watched the news wanted a sincere apology to the victims' families. Even if the accident was unintentional, it is important for the perpetrators to reflect on their actions. 

So why is it that, on the one hand, we are told that remorse is important, while on the other hand, the death penalty is sometimes advocated? I think it is because Japanese people have an ingrained sense that if they do something wrong, they should be punished. This perception in which evildoers should be brought to justice can also be seen in the proverb: “Inga Ōhō (因果応報). The idea that the murderer should share the victim’s suffering has become a time-honored tradition (佐藤直樹, 2021). Hence, the relatively new concept of human rights has not been able to change the deeply ingrained consciousness of Japanese people.

Japan is a country with a strong sense of peer pressure. If the death penalty is based on tradition, it will not disappear in the future. Even if there are people like me who have doubts about the significance of the death penalty, they will be swept away by a wave of peer pressure. The reason why criticism of the death penalty has not dissipated is that the problem is based on the consciousness of the people.  In the end, even if we discuss the issue of the death penalty logically, it is still important to convince people emotionally.

Work Cited:

佐藤直樹. 死刑廃止の世界に取り残される「死んでおわび」の日本文化. 2021年10月8日. https://diamond.jp/articles/-/283992. 2022年1月3日.