Japan hangs two death row inmates

Japan executed two death row inmates by hanging on Thursday, in a state execution room similar to the one seen here.

The country has executed a total of seven inmates so far this year, remaining one of the few leading developed nations to carry out the death penalty.

This time, a man, and a woman, convicted in separate cases of offences including murder, were put to death.

This is the second round of executions under current Justice Minister Makoto Taki, but at a press conference on Thursday, he said there is room to reconsider public opinion on the issue.

However, a government survey in 2009 showed that 86 percent of Japanese people supported the death penalty.

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 66-YEAR-OLD JOB SEEKER MASAYA ISODA SAYING:

"For the (victim's) family needing closure it could be necessary. Of course there is the issue of a person's civil rights. However to keep such a thing from happening we need something that will put a stop to it."

Japan and the United States are the only countries in the Group of Eight leading economies to carry out the death penalty.