Beijing informs Tokyo of plan to execute 3 more Japanese+

TOKYO, April 2 Kyodo -
China has informed Japan that it plans to execute, possibly next Thursday,
three more Japanese men convicted in drug smuggling cases, a move that led
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada to express his concerns on Friday.
Okada summoned Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua to the Foreign Ministry and
conveyed Tokyo's concerns over the planned executions, of which it was informed
Thursday, of Teruo Takeda, 67, Hironori Ukai, 48, and Katsuo Mori, 67, as well
as Mitsunobu Akano, 65, who China said earlier this week would be executed
soon.
There is speculation that Akano may be executed as early as Monday. If he is
executed, it will be the first execution by China of a Japanese national since
the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1972.
Okada said at a regular press conference shortly before meeting with Cheng that
he would tell the ambassador ''there are concerns among the public over whether
proper procedures have been taken'' regarding the death penalties given to the
men.
Okada was quoted as telling Cheng it is ''a matter of domestic justice''
regarding what kind of punishments China imposes for crimes, but noted that
China had decided to carry out the executions ''even though Japan had
repeatedly expressed its concerns.''
Cheng said he would convey Japan's concerns to his government and sought
understanding from Okada by saying that crackdowns on drugs are important for
his country, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry's press release. Cheng
did not respond to media questions after the meeting.
Asked whether Japan will ask China not to carry out the executions, Okada told
the press conference, ''Each country has its own laws and legal system and the
death sentences were given under that (framework).''
The death sentence for Akano was finalized in 2009, while the sentences for the
three other men were finalized in 2007.
Akano was convicted of attempting to smuggle stimulant drugs totaling about 2.5
kilograms from China to Japan in 2006.
Takeda was accused of buying about 5 kg of stimulant drugs from a Chinese and
giving them to Japanese people in 2003, while Ukai was found in possession of
about 1.5 kg of illegal drugs when trying to board a plane from China to Japan
in 2003.
Mori was indicted for trying to smuggle 1.25 kg of drugs from China to Japan in
2003.
Drug smuggling is a serious crime in China, with offenders facing sentences of
15 years' imprisonment, life imprisonment or death for smuggling drugs totaling
50 grams or more.
Last December, China executed a British man convicted of smuggling drugs into
the country.
==Kyodo
2010-04-02 22:38:55


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