Japan executes death row inmate, 1st since Takaichi took office
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan on Friday hanged a death row inmate, a source familiar with the matter said, the first execution under Prime Minister Sanae Tak
Japan carried out its first execution under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday, hanging Sunao Takami, 58, convicted of killing five people in an arson attack on a pachinko parlor in Osaka in 2009. Takami, who was 58 at the time of the attack, doused the floor with gasoline and set it alight on July 5, 2009, injuring 10 others.
His death sentence was finalized in 2016 after his defense argued he was influenced by mental illness, a claim dismissed by the courts as Takami being deemed mentally competent and criminally responsible. Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi cited careful consideration in the decision, marking the first execution since June 2025. Japan's capital punishment system has faced increased scrutiny following the exoneration of Iwao Hakamata in 2024 after 44 years on death row, and the execution of Takahiro Shiraishi in June of the same year for murdering nine victims, most young women who had posted suicidal thoughts on social media.
Amnesty International reported 2,707 executions worldwide in 2025, with Iran accounting for 2,159. Despite this, 145 countries have abolished or effectively abolished the death penalty, with more than 80% of Japanese citizens considering it unavoidable.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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