If
I had to translate the title of this book, I could think of nothing more fitting
than "Hangman's Blues". Author Ohtsuka Kimiko is best known for her
work toward abolishing the death penalty in Japan. In this book she provides
a very unique perspective on the death penalty issue, taking as her focus the
stress and trauma caused to the guards who have to carry out the order to hang
the prisoner. Little consideration or mention is made of whether the death penalty
serves as a deterrent, or of its fittingness as a punishment for certain crimes.
The book also provides a shocking behind the scenes look at the hanging process itself. A process little known in this country where executions are normally not announced, and where little protest or outcry is ever heard.
I have always been generally in favor of the death penalty, but challenge anyone to maintain strong support of the death penalty after reading Chapter 8 of this book. It has prompted me to instruct my wife that in the event I am ever murdered she is to ask the prosecutor to not seek the death penalty for my killer, no matter the circumstances.
This book is an must-read for anyone interested in the death penalty in general, and in its secretive execution in Japan in particular.