Why Japan Still Hangs People, and Why This One Matters
Japan executes by rope, in secret, with notice measured in hours. The hanging of a 58-year-old arsonist this month was routine by the system's own rules — which is exactly why it matters. The post Why Japan Still Hangs People, and Why This One Matters appeared first on The Rio Times .
On the morning of 21 August 2026, Japan carried out its first execution since June 2025, and its first under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Sunao Takami, 58, was hanged for an arson attack that killed five people and injured ten at an Osaka pachinko parlour in July 2009. He was sentenced to death in 2011 and his sentence upheld by the Supreme Court in 2016, leaving him on death row for about a decade.
Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi ordered the execution after "careful and thorough consideration," citing the shock and fear the crime caused society. This was the first execution in Japan since 2024, when Iwao Hakamada was released after serving 40 years on death row, claiming his conviction was based on fabricated evidence. Since 2007, Japan has disclosed the names of those executed and outlines of their crimes, but human rights groups and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations have long condemned the practice.
Currently, Japan and the United States are the only G7 countries that still carry out executions. The 100 prisoners on Japan's death row, including Takami, remain in solitary confinement with limited contact and strict living conditions. 43 of them are seeking retrials, arguing that their convictions were based on flawed evidence. Japan's execution method is a long-drop hanging in secrecy, with the condemned informed of their fate in the morning of the execution.
The debate over Japan's death penalty has shifted from whether the innocent can be hanged to whether the risk outweighs the benefits. A 2025 government survey found that 83.1% of the public supports capital punishment, and no mainstream party campaigns for abolition. While Japan remains the only G7 country that executes, the international stance is growing increasingly isolated.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
