"Justice Minister - The God of Death"

Asahi Shimbun calls the Minister of Justice ‘The God of Death’

In a column in the evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun, the Minister of Justice, Kunio Hatoyama was dubbed as “The God of death,” causing outrage from Hatoyama as well as the National Association of Crime Victims and Surviving Families (NAVS).

The article called the minister “The God of Death” due to the increasing pace of executions recently taking place.

The NAVS then held a press conference, expressing their distraught at the “lack of empathy for the victims.”

“It is the first time that an Asahi Shimbun article insulted him as “The God of Death” and “Executioner” and as the victims, we find this very damaging. To use the gravity of the death penalty debate as the focus of satire is a problem in itself,” said Isamu Okamura, NAVS representative.

The angered NAVS members expressed their protest in a letter to the Asahi Shimbun, asking “Why is it a bad thing that there have been an increase in the number of executions?” and “Please explain the exact meaning of “The God of Death”.”