A former Mongolian president known for abolishing his country's death penalty urged Japanese lawmakers in a recent interview to take the same step despite the public's continued support for executions.
"If you are a good politician, (and) if there are some bad practices, you have to go ahead and change public opinion," said Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who led the move to terminate capital punishment in Mongolia in 2017 after taking the post in 2009.
In Japan, 83.1 percent of people support the death penalty, saying the existence of the system is "unavoidable," according to a government survey conducted last year.
Elbegdorj suggested that to gain public understanding, the Japanese government should disclose more information about the death penalty to facilitate an "open debate" about it. The country has often been criticized for withholding details, including the criteria for its application and how it is decided when death row inmates will be executed.
The former leader said he had been "surprised" at the secrecy still surrounding the death penalty in Japan, which he compared to the situation he had found in Mongolia. When he became president, he decided he needed to stop "this madness," he said.
He described the death penalty as going against the spirit of democracy which respects human rights and the sanctity of life. He also noted that there is always the danger of taking the lives of people wrongly convicted.
"I think the death penalty is one issue where you have to exercise leadership," he told Kyodo News on May 20. "When people get more knowledge, more understanding, they usually appreciate (arguments for its abolition) after that."
While some argue capital punishment has a deterrent effect, it was not the case in Mongolia, Elbegdorj said, noting a decrease in violent crimes after the punishment was abolished. He noted that perpetrators might have sought to kill witnesses to avoid facing the death penalty.
Japan has not executed anyone since July 2022, possibly affected by the retrial and acquittal of Iwao Hakamata, an aging former inmate accused of a 1966 quadruple murder. It is a pause of rare length in recent years.
As of the end of 2024, 145 countries had abolished the death penalty in law or practice, according to human rights organization Amnesty International.
Regarding capital punishment, Japan is in "the same group" as North Korea, China and Iran, Elbegdorj said, adding that Japan will have a "better" relationship with Mongolia if it abandons the death penalty.
Calling his achievement of ending the practice his "legacy," Elbegdorji said, "Today, Japanese members of parliament, the prime minister, the justice minister can have that legacy."

Published Date:2025-06-11