Japan carried out its first execution in over a year when Sunao Takami was executed after setting a pachinko parlour aflame in 2009, killing five people. The death penalty had been suspended for about 12 years, but the new ruling marked Japan as the only G7 country, besides the United States, still appointing the sentence. The court rejected the plea that Takami was mentally ill, and the three‑judge panel confirmed a hanging sentence in 2011. Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi confirmed the execution, stating it followed “careful and thorough consideration.” Rights groups criticised the short notice given to death‑row inmates, the prolonged solitary confinement, and the overall lack of transparency surrounding the execution process.
Japan Executes Man Who Killed Five in 2009 Pachinko Parlour Fire
Japan Executes Man Who Killed Five in 2009 Pachinko Parlour Fire
Japan carried out its first execution in over a year over a 2009 pachinko parlour fire that killed five, the country’s second G7 nation to keep capital punishment.
Japan executed Sunao Takami, the 58‑year‑old man who set a pachinko parlour on fire in 2009, killing five. The death penalty is now in effect after a 12‑year hiatus, making Japan the only G7 nation besides the US to retain it. Prosecutors rejected a claim of mental illness; a jury and judges handed down a hanging sentence in 2011. The execution, announced by Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi, was carried out early Friday. Rights groups have criticized the lack of transparency around death‑row conditions and the solitary confinement of inmates.
