Japan executes man convicted of 2009 Osaka arson attack that killed five
Japan on Friday executed a man convicted of killing five people in a 2009 arson attack on a pachinko parlor in Osaka, the Justice Ministry announced.
Sunao Takami, 58, was hanged earlier in the day for setting fire to the crowded gaming hall by spreading gasoline and throwing a lit match, killing four customers and one employee while injuring 10 others, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said at a news conference. Takami was convicted of murder, attempted murder and arson in a 2011 Osaka District Court ruling, with his final appeal rejected by the Supreme Court in 2016.
Hiraguchi described the crime as having “extremely serious outcomes” that “dealt a major shock and fear to society,” adding that victims endured “unimaginable pain and fear” and survivors faced long-term effects. He stated he ordered the execution after “careful and thorough considerations.”
The hanging marks the first execution under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government, which took office in October 2025. Japan now has 100 inmates on death row, including 43 seeking retrials, Hiraguchi said.
Japan and the United States are the only Group of Seven nations that still carry out executions. The country has faced growing criticism over its use of the death penalty, particularly after the 2024 acquittal of Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest-serving death-row inmate. Executions in Japan are conducted in secrecy, with prisoners typically informed of their fate only on the morning of their hanging.
Since 2007, Japan has disclosed the names of those executed and some details of their crimes, but Hiraguchi said he has no intention of expanding transparency, arguing that additional disclosures could disturb the mental state of death-row inmates.
Public support for capital punishment remains strong in Japan. A 2024 government survey found 83% of respondents considered the death penalty “unavoidable,” though the share of those favoring abolition rose from 9% to 17% over five years.
The last execution before Friday’s was in June 2025, when Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the “Twitter killer,” was hanged for the murders and dismemberment of nine people. Prior to that, Japan executed Tomohiro Kato in July 2022 for a 2008 vehicle and stabbing rampage in Tokyo that killed seven. Official figures show three executions in 2021, three in 2019 and 15 in 2018.
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Articles
Japansk mann hengt etter at fem ble drept i brann En mann i Japan er henrettet etter å ha blitt dømt for å ha satt fyr på en spillehall og tatt livet av fem personer.
aftenposten · about 2 hours ago
Un condamnat la moarte a fost executat în Japonia pentru incendierea unui salon de pachinko. Cinci oameni au murit Un condamnat la moarte a fost executat, vineri dimineaţă în Japonia, pentru atacul incendiar din 2009 asupra unui salon de pachinko, care a făcut cinci morţi, a relatat presa locală.
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faz · about 3 hours ago
Japan executes man convicted of setting fire that killed 5 at pachinko parlor in Osaka Japan on Friday announced the execution of a man convicted of killing five people after setting fire to an Osaka pachinko parlor in 2009, a first execution by…
japantoday · about 3 hours ago
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