IWAO HAKAMADA AND THE DEATH PENALTY IN JAPAN

That this House notes with concern Japan's continued and increasing use of the death penalty; further notes the particular case of Mr Iwao Hakamada who will turn 73 on 10 March 2009; is concerned to hear that Mr Hakamada has spent almost 43 years in detention, including 29 years in solitary confinement on death row and as a consequence is suffering from serious mental illness; further notes the serious concerns raised about the manner of Mr Hakamada's conviction; further notes that former Judge Kumamoto, one of the judges in the original trial, has stated he believes Mr Hakamada to be innocent; further notes that former Judge Kumamoto travelled to the UN office in New York in 2008 where he further voiced his concerns regarding Mr Hakamada's case; commends Amnesty International and a range of other organisations in raising the profile of Iwao Hakamada and other death row inmates; calls on the Japanese Minister of Justice to review the case and order a retrial; and further calls on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to raise these concerns with its Japanese counterparts and continue its valuable work with all governments and the United Nations to achieve a global moratorium on executions.