Sunao Takami was executed by hanging in Japan's first official execution under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government.
Sunao Takami was hanged on Friday, marking the first execution carried out by the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Takami was convicted of arson and murder after setting fire to a crowded pachinko parlor in Osaka in 2009, an act that killed five people and injured 10 others. Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi defended the execution, noting that the hanging method is not considered more cruel than other common methods like lethal injections. Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi stated that the hanging took place during a parliamentary recess, though he denied it was a move to avoid public debate. While Japan remains one of only two G7 nations to use capital punishment, the country faces increasing international pressure to increase transparency regarding its executions. Currently, 100 people remain on death row in Japan, with 43 seeking retrials. Hiraguchi noted that while the majority of the Japanese public supports the death penalty as an unavoidable option, the final decision to abolish or retain it remains a core issue for the criminal justice system.