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

Even as the evidence of a troubled system piles up, it is unlikely that capital punishment in America would have made headlines had it not been for the presidential candidacy of George W. Bush, the governor of Texas.

ECONOMIST: Election Briefing: Death penalty