Japan executes 2 convicted of murder in 1st jury trial
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Japan has executed the first two people convicted by a jury trial instead of professional judges under a new system that began six years ago.
The two men were the 63-year-old Sumitoshi Tsuda, convicted of killing three people in 2009, and the 39-eyar-old Kazuyuki Wakabayashi, convicted of killing a woman and her daughter in 2006.
The Justice Ministry says Tsuda was put to death in a Tokyo facility, while Wakabayashi was executed in Sendai, on Friday. Death penalty in Japan is by hanging.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Amnesty International criticized the executions, saying they brought to 14 the number of people put to death under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.