2 inmates hanged, bringing number of executions to 5 under Abe

TOKYO — Japan said Friday it hanged two death-row inmates, in the first executions since a trio of convicted killers died in the gallows two months ago and drawing immediate protest from human rights groups. Justice Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki told reporters that Katsuji Hamasaki, 64, and Yoshihide Miyagi, 56, two members of a crime syndicate, were executed for the shooting of two rival gangsters at a restaurant in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, in 2005.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/2-inmates-hanged-bringing-number-of-executions-to-5-under-abe