By Anna Kitanaka -- Citizen judges and the future of the death penalty -- On December 18, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly voted on a landmark resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions, with a view to eventually abolish the death penalty. In all, 104 countries voted in favor, 54 against and 29 abstained. Those against the resolution include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Zimbabwe, Kuwait— and Japan. The European Union, Canada, South Africa and a growing portion of Latin America have already abolished the death penalty. The US and Japan are the only two major industrialized nations left that still hold onto the death penalty, despite the growing widespread movement for abolishment. How long can Japan hold out against mounting international pressure? But more imminently, how will the country’s implementation of the lay judge system affect the outcome of sentencing?