Japan is the only industrial country other than the United States, which still retains the death penalty. Although the death penalty has been a hotly contested topic in the West, there is a lack of interest and research on it in Japan. Accordingly, there is little empirical research on capital punishment in Japan. This study was undertaken to overcome this flaw. Using the data collected from 267 college students in 2005 in Japan, this study investigated the respondents’ support level of capital punishment and examined why they supported or opposed it. Findings from this study revealed that the majority of the respondents in Japan supported their country’s capital punishment. Deterrence, retribution, the barbarity of killing, beliefs in wrongful conviction, and rehabilitation were major predictors of their death penalty views.
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