Mr Bush earlier this month granted his first 30-day reprieve in a death penalty case, but continued to claim confidence in his state's capital punishment system.

BBC: Most US death sentences 'flawed'

But, in other respects, the sudden execution of Mr Takuma was typical of Japan's murky system of capital punishment.

ECONOMIST: Japan: Silent death | The

It can refer to many things, ranging from a pious way of life to a system of corporal and capital punishment, laid down in Islamic law but practised in only a few places.

ECONOMIST: Islamic law and democracy