Japan reintroduced popular juries in penal trials after a break of 66 years. This aligned Japan with the other G8 countries and created an opportunity for debate on capital punishment...
According to a poll by the Yomiuri newspaper, despite more than 80% of the population favouring the death penalty, 79% said they did not want to take part in popular juries ‘so as not to have to decide on giving the death penalty.’
The jury can play a really key part in death penalty cases exactly because of the attitudes brought to light by the poll--even if you support capital punishment in principle, actually feeling responsible for it being carried out can make people question the workings of the system they're a part of...That's why there are so many ex-prison officials and judges who now oppose the death penalty.
I think this could also draw more attention to the death penalty in Japan, which depends on a veil of secrecy to an even greater extent than it does in the United States--the condemned is only told on the morning of their execution that it's about to happen, and their family and loved ones aren't told until after the person is already dead. It's hard to even begin to imagine the psychological torture inherent in that, not only for the condemned person but also for everyone who cares about him or her...
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