Tokyo, Jan. 17 (Jiji Press)–A Cabinet Office survey showed Friday that 80.8 pct of the Japanese public tolerates the capital punishment system.

Only 9.0 pct think the system should be abolished, according to the government agency’s survey on the legal system, conducted every five years.

Public tolerance of the death penalty system exceeded 80 pct for the fourth consecutive time since 2004, showing that the country’s widespread support for the system remains intact.

Asked for reasons, with multiple answers allowed, 56.6 pct of the respondents tolerating death penalty said that the anger of the victims’ side can never be eased if capital punishment is abolished and offenders are allowed to live, and 53.6 pct said that heinous crimes should be paid for with the life of the perpetrator.

Of those calling for the abolition of capital punishment, 50.7 pct cited possible miscarriages of justice, and 42.3 pct said that offenders should continue living to atone for their crimes.

Asked whether they agree to the idea of abolishing capital punishment if Japan introduces a life imprisonment system without parole, 52.0 pct of the total respondents said that capital punishment should be retained while 35.1 pct responded in favor of abolition.

For the first time, the survey asked about Japan’s refugee certification system.

The proportion of respondents who think the country accepts only a few refugees stood at 54.6 pct, against 10.6 pct who said it accepts a large number.

But 56.9 pct said Japan should be cautious about accepting refugees, as opposed to 24.0 pct who said it should actively accept them.

The interview survey was conducted with 3,000 people aged 18 or over across Japan between Nov. 7 and 17, 2019. Valid answers came from 52.4 pct.