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Japan Women Asia Death penalty
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Testimonial

Japan: ”her present fate is to rot in solitude”

// A series of testimonials for the 17th World Day Against the Death Penalty (3)*

On 10 October 2019, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and abolitionist organisations around the world celebrate the 17th World Day Against the Death Penalty. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this year is dedicated to children whose parents have been sentenced to death or executed. It is well-documented that the psychological and emotional trauma experienced by a child when a parent is sentenced to death or executed has long-term and often devastating impacts. This series of testimonials provides a space for these children, who had to grow up in the shadow of death, to talk about the death penalty in their own words.

Of the 118 people currently on death row in Japan, only two are known to have children. Masumi Hayashi has three daughters and one son. Her son was 10 years old at the time of her arrest, and 15 when the initial death sentence was handed down. He is now 31 years old. This is his testimonial, collected by the Japan Innocence & Death Penalty Information Center.

// in partnership with the World coalition against death penalty.

She very well might languish on death row and pass away from old age.

How often do you visit your mother?

C. Hayashi. I used to visit her twice a year, but after the massive hangings in 2018, she became nervous. So now I visit her four times a year. It takes over two hours to get to the detention centre and I can only see her for 20 minutes. An officer is always present in the room and a video camera records everything. The camera is only used for those on death row.

What is your family’s comprehension of the situation?

CH. None of us can really fathom it. There is no substantial evidence; all that exists is circumstantial. There is no confession, and the state has never shown a motive. How does someone get sentenced to death on such scant material?

How is she doing?

CH. Not very good. Death row prisoners do not receive dental treatment and she has lost most of her teeth.

She is allowed outside her cell only for exercise, bathing and visits. Exercise is twice a week in a large dog run—and always alone.

Likewise, bathing is also twice a week. She is forbidden from speaking with other prisoners; all meals are served in her cell. TV is allowed only a few times during the year—when there are consecutive holidays. She may not receive visits or even mail from non-family members. If you send her a card, she is told whom it is from, but she is not allowed to see it.

How has having a mother on death row impacted your life?

CH. Things were hard at school. I was isolated and ignored by other kids. Naturally, my employer does not know about the situation. In order to rent an apartment, a guarantor is mandatory, and nobody wants to be mine. I found a wonderful woman and wanted to get married. She did not mind that my mother was on death row, but when her parents learned of it, our engagement was broken off.

Do you fear that she might be executed?

CH. Our attorneys are doing a great job at collecting new scientific evidence. The appeals will continue for many years. It is very unlikely that she will be executed any time soon. She very well might languish on death row and pass away from old age. If she were sentenced to life, she would be in a prison, working and communicating with other prisoners, but her present fate is to rot in solitude.

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