Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- Japan hanged two convicted killers on Wednesday -- the first execution in the country since the Democratic Party of Japan took power last September.
One of the men, Kazuo Shinozawa, was put to death for killing six female clerks at a jewelry stone in 2000 and setting the store on fire.
The other person, Hidenori Ogata, was convicted of killing two people in 2003, the justice ministry said.
Japan last carried out an execution in July 2009 when the conservative Liberal Democratic Party was in power.
Justice Minister Keiko Chiba is a former member of a group of lawmakers opposed to capital punishment -- the Japan Parliamentary League against the Death Penalty.
Speaking to reporters after Wednesday's execution, she said that Japan needs a public discussion on whether to continue the practice of capital punishment.
CNN
