The human rights group Amnesty International has called for an end to the use of the death penalty in Japan, where prisoners sentenced to death who are mentally ill continue to be executed, in contravention of international law.

Professional medical bodies are also being asked to state their opposition to doctors and nurses participating in capital punishment. Instead they should demand good health care for prisoners, says the report.

The harsh conditions in Japanese prisons have led to many inmates developing mental illness, says Amnesty, which conducted a four month investigation into the extent to which mental health is taken into account in the use of the death penalty in the …