TOKYO, Japan – A man who committed a crime as a minor three years ago has been sentenced to death by a Japanese court, making it the first capital punishment case since the country lowered the legal age of adulthood. Yuki Endo, who was 19 years old in 2021, was convicted of stabbing the parents of a love interest and setting fire to their home in Yamanashi prefecture, west of Tokyo.
This landmark death sentence comes after Japan lowered the legal age of adulthood to 18 from 20 in April 2022. It is a significant development in the country’s legal system and raises questions about the treatment of individuals who commit serious crimes as minors. The case also brings attention to the differences in the legal systems of various countries, as Japan and the United States are the only Group of Seven (G7) nations that still carry out capital punishment.
In Japan, the method of carrying out the death penalty is by hanging, while the United States utilizes lethal injection. It is interesting to note that in the US, execution dates are set in advance and made public, whereas in Japan, inmates are only notified on the morning of their execution. This difference in approach has drawn criticism from the U.N. Committee against Torture, which has highlighted the psychological strain placed on inmates and their families in Japan.
The case of Yuki Endo and the subsequent death sentence serve as a reminder of the complexity and moral implications of capital punishment, especially when it involves individuals who were minors at the time of their crime. The debate on how to handle such cases continues to be an important issue both domestically and internationally. As Japan grapples with questions surrounding its legal system and the treatment of individuals involved in serious crimes, this case will likely spark further discussion and scrutiny.