The death penalty in Japan : Will it lose its appeal?

This paper examines the prospects for abolishing the death penalty in Japan. It outlines the trend towards abolition that has taken place in the world since the end of WWII, and how Japan\u27s elite resists joining that trend. It notes the large number of wrong convictions (enzai) produced by the Japanese justice system, gives a selection of examples, and makes suggestions for reform. It concludes that without reform, abolishing the death penalty (or at least imposing a moratorium on executions) is particularly necessary and urgent in Japan to save more innocent people from the gallows