Japan executes man who killed five in Pachinko parlour fire
Summary
Japan has executed Sunao Takami, who killed five people by setting fire to a pachinko gaming parlor in 2009. This is Japan’s first execution in more than a year and the first under the current Justice Minister's administration.Key Facts
- Sunao Takami, age 58, set fire to a pachinko parlor in Osaka in 2009, killing four customers and one employee.
- Takami was sentenced to death in 2011 after a jury and judges rejected his mental illness defense.
- Japan and the United States are the only G7 countries that still use the death penalty.
- Prisoners on death row in Japan are usually told about their execution just a few hours before it happens.
- Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi approved the execution after careful review.
- In June 2023, Japan executed Takahiro Shiraishi, who killed nine people and was known as the “Twitter killer.”
- Public opinion polls show strong support for the death penalty in Japan.
- Human rights groups criticize Japan for keeping death-row prisoners isolated and for a lack of transparency about executions.
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