People are just finding out about 'harrowing' death row methods in Japanese prisons

Japan has a brutal death row execution practice which has been around since the 19th century and has even been at the centre of lawsuits.

Tomohiro Kato was the last person to be executed on Japan's death row after he was convicted of murdering seven people by driving into them or stabbing them in Tokyo’s Akihabara district in 2008.

With a further 107 inmates awaiting their fate, it's safe to say that the country's killing method is far from conventional.

The practice is carried out by long drop hanging, first introduced to Britain back in 1872.

After working out a person's weight and height, only then it can be determined how far they should be dropped.

The idea is for the rope to sever the spinal cord between the C2 and C3 vertebrae, but not so much that it causes decapitation. This method causes instant brain death.

But what's even more controversial is that the Ministry of Justice determines the execution date, often without prior warning to the prisoner or their family.

This means that - unlike in the US, for example - inmates won't know their execution date in advance, and will only be told on the day itself.

This is apparently done to avoid emotional distress, but critics reckon it actually takes a psychological toll on inmates.

In fact, Amnesty International branded the practice as 'cruel', while a lawsuit filed by two inmates earlier this year seeking to put an end to the short-notice warning before execution was dismissed by a Japanese district court.

Here's what an execution chamber in Japan looks like (BBC)

Executions tend to take place in one of Japan’s seven designated detention centres. And then on the day, the inmate is taken to a chamber with a trapdoor inside.

Usually three officers are tasked with pressing the buttons simultaneously, but only one of them will actually trigger the trapdoor.

The inmate is then hanged, with the process normally taking place in complete secrecy.

Neither the media nor the general public are allowed to witness the hanging.

Taking to a Reddit feed, people are only just discovering the 'cruel' way Japan executes its inmates.

The red lines are truly terrifying (BBC)

"Man, if we have to die can't we at least die well rested? Imagine being woken up tired and knowing you never get to sleep again," one person commented.

"That either means their criminal justice system is top notch. Or the exact opposite," a second penned.

While a third wondered: "I don't know if it'd be worse to know when you were going to be executed to count the days with impending dread, or live each day never knowing if it would be your last. Either one is terrible."

A fourth said: "You are sentenced to f**king die, you'd rather spend months on end fearing the day approaching or being informed an hour before the deed and you don't even get the chance to grieve all that much?"