Two unnamed inmates on death row in Japan are suing the government over a policy that sees prisoners notified of their execution on the same day it is carried out.

       The practice of giving short notice, sometimes just a few hours, was “inhumane” and “unconstitutional,” a lawyer for the pair told local media Friday.

       Wp Get the full experience.Choose your plan ArrowRight

       “Death row prisoners live in fear every morning that that day will be their last. It’s extremely inhumane,” lawyer Yutaka Ueda told Reuters. “Overseas, prisoners are given time to contemplate the end of their lives and mentally prepare. It’s as if Japan is trying as hard as possible not to let anybody know.”

       Capital punishment is conducted by hanging in Japan.

       Story continues below advertisement

       The country remains one of the few industrialized nations in the world — along with the United States — that still legally permit the death penalty.

       Advertisement

       Human rights group Amnesty International has previously called out capital punishment in Japan for being “shrouded in secrecy.” It has also criticized the short notice given to death row inmates, saying that in some instances family members are only notified after the execution has taken place.

       The lawsuit was filed Thursday in a district court in the western city of Osaka, Reuters reported. The suit argued that same-day notice was illegal as it did not allow sufficient time for objections and appeals to be raised, and said the two prisoners were seeking approximately 22 million yen ($193,000) in compensation.

       Story continues below advertisement

       “Japan is really behind the international community on this,” lawyer Ueda said. He added that there was no law in the country mandating that prisoners be given short notice of their execution, and that he would await a response from the government while urging for more public pressure around the issue.

       Advertisement

       Japan’s Justice Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post.

       There are currently 112 people on death row in Japan, the Justice Ministry said, according to Reuters, though for nearly two years no one has been executed.

       Public opinion polls in Japan and in parts of Southeast Asia regularly show a majority of people are in favor of capital punishment, which is usually connected to murder or drug offenses. Singapore said it was preparing next week to execute an intellectually disabled man who trafficked a small amount of heroin into the country more than a decade ago, a move that rights advocates have decried.

       Story continues below advertisement

       In the United States, a majority of adults support the death penalty for people convicted of murder, according to an April survey from the Pew Research Center. While state-level executions have decreased, the federal government executed more prisoners under President Donald Trump than at any point since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976, according to Pew. There are currently about 2,500 prisoners facing execution in the United States, with the highest numbers in California and Florida, according to nonprofit the Death Penalty Information Center.

       Advertisement

       More than 100 nations globally have outlawed capital punishment, according to data from the Death Penalty Project, a nonprofit, with Sierra Leone in July being the latest country to abolish the death penalty for all crimes.

       Read more:

       Japan’s ruling party to keep majority, but loses seats in covid blowback

       Bucking tradition, Japanese Princess Mako marries controversial fiance, loses royal status

       Senate panel approves Rahm Emanuel’s nomination as ambassador to Japan