China executes three Japanese drug smugglers

BEIJING - China executed three Japanese nationals Friday after they were convicted of drug trafficking, the Supreme People’s Court said.

Teruo Takeda, 67, Hironori Ukai, 48, and Katsuo Mori, 67, were put to death in the northeastern province of Liaoning.

Takeda bought about five kg of methamphetamine in June 2003 in China and instructed the other Japanese to take the drugs out of the country. He was arrested in June 2004 when he was trading more than 2.9 kg of stimulant drugs with other drug dealers, the court said.

The accomplices were caught by police at airports in Dalian and Shenyang when they attempted to smuggle the drug to Japan the following month, Xinhua reported.

Ukai was caught at an airport in Dalian in September 2003 when he and a Korean accomplice attempted to pass security check with 1.5 kg of drugs hidden under clothes.

Mori was caught by police when he attempted to board a plane from Shenyang to Japan with 1.25 kg of drugs in July 2003.

Another Japanese citizen, Mitsunobu Akano, 65, was executed Tuesday after being caught with more than 1.5 kg of methamphetamine.

Under Chinese law, those convicted of smuggling, selling, transporting or producing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine or heroin can be sentenced to death.