Proposed China-Japan treaty on criminals

A proposal for Sino-Japanese co-operation in criminal investigations has been welcomed in Japan, but human rights groups are concerned about the death penalty.

Officials from both nations have agreed to consider an agreement that would enable the sharing of information and the repatriation of prisoners convicted abroad.

The proposal - rare amid tense Sino-Japanese ties - can be linked to the murder of a family of four in southern Japan two years ago.

Three Chinese students were charged with killing Shinjiro Matsumoto and his family in Fukuoka and stealing 40,000 yen ($2,800) before dumping their bodies in Hakata Bay. Wei Wei, 25, was sentenced to death in Fukuoka District Court on May 20.

In January, a Shenyang court sentenced Yang Ning to death, while Wang Liang was jailed for life at the Intermediate People's Court in Liaoying.

Yuichi Kaido, secretary-general of the Centre for Prisoners' Rights Japan, said: 'The two countries have been discussing such measures ... but the Fukuoka case may have made the matter more urgent. We welcome these initiatives because under the principles of social rehabilitation a prisoner should be held in his home country.'