Japan has carried out its first execution under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government, hanging a man convicted of killing five people in a deadly arson attack at a pachinko parlour in Osaka.
Sunao Takami, 58, was executed by hanging on Friday after spending years on death row for the 2009 attack, which also left 10 people injured. The execution has renewed debate over Japan's use of capital punishment, particularly its secretive procedures and growing calls for greater transparency.
What happened in the 2009 Osaka pachinko parlour attack?
According to Japan's Justice Ministry, Takami set fire to a crowded pachinko parlour in Osaka by spreading petrol inside the building and throwing a lit match.
The fire quickly engulfed the premises, killing five people and injuring 10 others.
Takami was convicted of murder, attempted murder and arson. In 2011, the Osaka District Court sentenced him to death. His appeals were later rejected, with Japan's Supreme Court upholding the death sentence in 2016.
Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said the crime had caused serious consequences and created widespread fear in society. He said the decision to approve the execution was taken after what he described as careful consideration.
Japan has 100 people on death row
Following Takami's execution, Japan has around 100 prisoners on death row, according to the Justice Ministry. Of them, 43 are reportedly seeking retrials.
Japan remains one of the few developed nations that continues to carry out executions. Along with the United States, it is the only other member of the G7 that still uses the death penalty.
The country's policy has increasingly faced criticism from human rights groups and opponents of capital punishment, who have called for the abolition of the death penalty or significant reforms to the execution process.
Why is Japan's execution system controversial?
One of the biggest concerns surrounding Japan's death penalty system is the secrecy surrounding executions.
Death-row prisoners are typically informed about their execution only on the morning they are scheduled to be hanged. Critics argue that the practice places prisoners under extreme psychological stress, as they live without knowing when their execution will take place.
Japan began publicly disclosing the names of executed prisoners and limited details about their crimes in 2007. However, information surrounding executions remains restricted.
Justice Minister Hiraguchi defended the current system and indicated that there were no immediate plans to change it. He argued that providing additional details about executions could negatively affect the mental state of prisoners awaiting death.
He also defended hanging as a method of execution, citing previous court rulings.
Death penalty debate intensifies after Iwao Hakamada case
The debate over capital punishment in Japan has intensified in recent years, particularly following the 2024 acquittal of Iwao Hakamada, who had spent decades on death row.
Hakamada's case raised serious concerns about wrongful convictions and the possibility of executing an innocent person.
Despite criticism from rights groups, Japanese authorities have maintained that the death penalty continues to have significant public support. Government surveys have previously shown that a large section of the population considers capital punishment unavoidable in cases involving particularly serious crimes.
Japan executed 'Twitter killer' in 2025
Japan has continued carrying out executions in recent years. In 2025, authorities executed a man widely known as the “Twitter killer”, who had been convicted of murdering and dismembering nine people near Tokyo in 2017.
The latest execution of Sunao Takami has once again brought Japan's capital punishment system under scrutiny.
As calls for greater transparency and reform continue, the debate over whether Japan should retain the death penalty is likely to remain a major issue within the country's criminal justice system.
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