following the botched execution -- what should be the way to execute some one?

[MADem]

107. I was surprised to learn that Japan still had it.

Ya learn something new every day here at DU...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Japan

It's very personal and specific there--tailored to the individual, and the victim's family, as it were:

In Japan, the courts follow guidelines laid down in the trial of Norio Nagayama, a 19-year-old from a disadvantaged background, who committed four murders in 1968 and was finally hanged in 1997.
The supreme court of Japan, in imposing the death penalty, ruled that the death penalty may be imposed "inevitably" in consideration of the degree of criminal liability and balance of justice based on a nine-point set of criteria.[3] Though technically not a precedent, this guideline has been followed by all subsequent capital cases in Japan.[4] The nine criteria are as follows:
Degree of viciousness
Motive
How the crime was committed; especially the manner in which the victim was killed.
Outcome of the crime; especially the number of victims.
Sentiments of the bereaved family members.
Impact of the crime on Japanese society.
Defendant's age (in Japan, someone is a minor until the age of 20).
Defendant's previous criminal record.
Degree of remorse shown by the defendant.