일 ‘오사카 파친코점 방화 살인범’ 사형 집행

Japan's government carried out the execution of the perpetrator of the 2009 "Osaaka Pachinko Point arson murder" on the 21st. This marked the second execution in the past year, following a one-year delay. Hirakuchi Hiroshi, a Japanese prosecutor, confirmed the execution details in a press conference today, describing the "Osaaka Pachinko Point arson murder" as "a very vicious crime committed with meticulous planning and preparation to kill many people indiscriminately."

Hirakuchi emphasized the loss of five precious lives, the physical and psychological injuries suffered by other victims, and the great shock and fear it caused to society. He could not bear to imagine the pain, fear, and anger felt by the victims' families and the depth of their resentment. The executed individual, Danmachi Snao, set fire to a Pachinko parlor in Osaka's Gonohana Ward in 2009, killing five customers and part-time employees.

He admitted during the incident to 'mass murder' and was charged with murder, arson, and other crimes. The court sentenced him to death in both the first and second trials in 2011 and 2013, respectively, and the Supreme Court upheld the verdict in 2016. Danmachi's defense argued that his mental illness caused the crime and that he lacked the ability to judge right from wrong.

However, the court determined that he had the capacity to understand his actions. The court also acknowledged that the death penalty was appropriate given the severity of his crime, which entailed both mental and physical suffering. Hirakuchi signed the execution order for this case on July 18, marking the first execution in Japan since June of last year.

Japan has become the second country in 29 years since South Korea's President Kim Dae-jung took office to conduct executions. Hirakuchi cited a 1959 Supreme Court ruling that found no morally reprehensible nature in capital punishment, stating that he had no intention of reviewing the execution method. After this execution, Japan will have 100 death row inmates, 43 of whom are awaiting retrial.