"Don't fall victim to the death penalty policy," Japanese photographer and human rights activist Toshi Kasama warned Thai people ahead of the 2026 election, pointing out that political parties promoting the death penalty fail to address root problems and do not reduce crime.
“I hope voters will be knowledgeable and smart enough not to fall victim to the death penalty policy under any circumstances, because in the end, the death penalty does not reduce crime in the country. The real problems must be addressed. I only hope Thai people will not be deceived,” he said.
These are the words of Toshi Kasama, a Japanese-born photographer who grew up and works in New York, USA, and over the past 30 years has chosen to use "photography" as a medium to question "the death penalty," which he describes as "violence that society perceives as justice."
In the final week before Thailand’s general election on 8 February, Toshi traveled to Thailand after hearing that some political parties were campaigning by promoting the policy of "the death penalty." He views this policy as ineffective in reducing crime.
“The death penalty is not a preventive measure but an easy enforcement tool. If politicians truly care about the country, they should identify root causes and find ways to prevent and solve them, which is hard work for them,” Toshi said.
Toshi told Thairath Online that promoting the death penalty policy is not new. For decades, some U.S. state politicians have used this method to gain votes because it plays on voters' emotions and feelings.
But over the past 10 years, Japanese human rights activists say that as public opinion shifted, people began to understand the reality that the death penalty is a superficial solution and cannot guarantee that criminals will fear or refrain from breaking the law. This understanding has led many Americans to oppose the death penalty and caused politicians to stop campaigning on this policy by default.
Over 30 years ago, human rights groups in the U.S. hired him to photograph "the last images" of a 16-year-old death row inmate in a Missouri state prison to support efforts to repeal the death penalty law. That experience led this once top fashion photographer to focus on studying and campaigning against the death penalty worldwide by giving talks and organizing photo exhibitions that tell the stories of prisons, death row inmates, executioners, and victims' families to communicate that the death penalty is not society's answer.
Regarding Thailand, Toshi believes that for drug traffickers and corruption cases, if politicians care about the country's future, they should work on finding solutions rather than relying on the death penalty.
“This tactic of promoting the death penalty plays on people's emotions. You try to convey that you are a strong politician, but if you really care about your voters, you should focus on anti-corruption measures instead... Because if the death penalty is used to punish corrupt officials, some government agencies might end up with almost no staff left,” Toshi said with a slight smile and soft chuckle.
“I hope voters will be knowledgeable and smart enough not to fall victim to the death penalty policy under any circumstances, because in the end, the death penalty does not reduce crime in the country. The real problems must be addressed. I only hope Thai people will not be deceived.”
The anti-death penalty activist states that many countries have proven that having or increasing the death penalty does not help reduce crime. On the contrary, restorative justice systems, especially those used in Scandinavian countries, which support victims and rehabilitate offenders, have helped reduce crime rates more effectively.
“When offenders go through rehabilitation and reintegrate into society, officials monitor their behavior to prevent reoffending... but not everyone becomes a model citizen,” Toshi said.