Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Kunio Hatoyama of Japan
Hatoyama was born in Tokyo in 1948.
Subsequently, in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso, appointed on 24 September 2008, Hatoyama was moved to the post of Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama, however, told reporters that he had personal knowledge of how terrorists can infiltrate the country, citing an unidentified friend of a friend who was involved in a bomb attack on the Indonesian island of Bali.
If Hatoyama has a friend with knowledge of terrorists visiting Japan, why is he not handing over this information to police? Frankly, I dont really like the idea of having a justice minister who aids in the harboring of terrorists.
Kunio Hatoyama was appointed Minister of Justice on August 27, 2007.
Hatoyama has overall responsibility for justice system administration; primarily ensuring maintenance of the legal order of the state and protection of the rights of the people.
Hatoyama Kunio Hatoyama was born into a political dynasty.
Hatoyama has had a long political career.
As a result of his reluctance to sign death warrants and a desire to continue executions, Hatoyama was widely criticized.
In addition to the death penalty, Hatoyama has voiced opinions on other areas of the criminal justice system, including the upcoming quasi-jury system for major criminal trials scheduled to begin in May 2009.
Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio Hatoyama said Tuesday he will seek a reconsideration by Japan Post Holdings Co of its plan to sell all.
Japan Times Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama said Wednesday he is aware how death row inmates are executed in Japan and wondered if there were more "peaceful" ways of killing them other than hanging.
TOKYO, June 17 (UPI) -- A 45-year-old Japanese man convicted of killing four young girls was one of three death row inmates hanged Tuesday, the Japanese justice ministry said.
who approved 10 during his 11-month stint.
Human rights groups condemned the executions but Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama said the country should hang inmates as a matter of course.
Hatoyama has previously called for prisons to hang inmates on a fixed schedule after they lose their last appeals.
Hatoyama has strongly advocated the death penalty since taking office in October.
Hatoyama said Monday a "friend of a friend" who belonged to al-Qaida had entered the country with false passports and disguises several times, a disconcerting revelation in a country that fears its support of the United States makes it vulnerable to a terror attack.
I know this may cause a lot of inconvenience, but it's very necessary to fight terror," Hatoyama said of the fingerprinting measures.
Hatoyama said his proposal is based on "public trust in Japan's judicial system.
TOKYO (AFP) Japan on Thursday hanged four convicted murderers, including one who wrote remorseful poetry about his crimes, as the country steps up the pace of executions, officials said.
Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama has now signed off on 10 executions since taking over last year, marking the fastest pace since Japan ended a three-year hiatus in the death penalty in 1993.
Speaking on the Justice Ministry's stance of not disclosing the identities of those who are executed, Hatoyama said the feelings of the bereaved family and other death row inmates needed to be taken into consideration.
Hatoyama has overseen the execution of 13 convicted criminals since becoming justice minister in August.
Japan Times Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama said Friday he would not meet with lawmaker Shizuka Kamei, an opponent of the death penalty who described the minister this week as not being human.
He had paid attention to the interval between executions as little as he had the number of condemned men and would continue to do so, Hatoyama was quoted as saying by the Jiji Press news agency.
In the statement, Hatoyama said that there are a large number of people who share his interest in butterflies including people overseas and he has been told that some of them were thought to be members of terrorist organizations and have entered Japan or were involved in the Bali bombing.
Hatoyama has decided to announce executed death-row inmates' names, their crimes and places of execution chambers to inform the public that the hangings were conducted properly.
Hatoyama was education minister in the Inukai and Saito cabinets (1931-34.
Facing reporters later that day, Hatoyama was quick to display his determination to heed Abe's.
Hatoyama has apologized for giving the impression that he knows a member of Al Qaeda, claiming that he can't trust his friend's information.
Mr Hatoyama said that until two or three years ago, the al-Qa'ida operative had often entered and left Japan, using different passports and disguises.
Hatoyama is trying to reduce the number of prisoners on death row, after a previous justice minister refused to sign death warrants for religious reasons.
On Monday, Hatoyama said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo that he had been advised against visiting the Indonesian island resort before the bombing because it was being targeted for an attack.
Japan's justice minister Kunio Hatoyama has now approved the execution of thirteen prisoners, with three more hangings carried out yesterday.
HATOYAMA, Japan,2007Brain-machine interface developed by HITACHI.
var RTR_ArticleBlurb = "TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama said Wednesday he wanted to consider more 'tranquil' methods of execution.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama said Wednesday he wanted to consider more 'tranquil' methods of execution.
I am fully aware that 'death by hanging' is written in the criminal code," Hatoyama said after a parliamentary committee meeting, Kyodo news agency said.
Hatoyama came under fire in September for suggesting those sentenced to death should be executed automatically, without having the penalty approved by the justice minister as is current practice.