ECPM has organised the Regional Congress on the Death Penalty since 2012.

In addition to determining the progress made and the obstacles faced by abolitionism in the target region, the Regional Congress aims above all to bring together a variety of regional actors engaged in the abolitionist movement and to encourage a holistic conversation on the development of a step-by-step strategy towards abolition of the death penalty in all countries.

After the MENA region in 2012 (Rabat, Morocco), Southeast Asia in 2015 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Sub-Saharan Africa in 2018 (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) and, the Middle East in 2023 (Amman, Jordan), the 5th Regional Congress on the Death penalty will be held in Tokyo on the 7, 8 and 9 of November 2025, at Rissho University (Shinagawa Campus).

The event will focus on the East Asia region, preceding the 9th World Congress against the Death Penalty to be held in Paris in the summer of 2026.

The 5th Regional Congress on the Death Penalty is organised in partnership with the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), the Center for Prisoners’ Rights (CPR, a Japanese NGO specialised in prison reform), and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN).

At least 200 participants from eight East Asian and Southeast countries and territories (China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore) are expected to attend.