Ministry of Justice executes execution for first time in 1 year and 2 months, death row inmate Omano Takami for arson murder at pachinko parlor in Osaka

On the 21st, the Ministry of Justice carried out the death penalty for the first time in 1 year and 2 months. There was a gap of 2 years and 11 months between the last executions, the longest period since November 1998, when the facts and number of people sentenced to death began to be made public. More than 100 death row inmates remain in custody.

The person who was executed this time was Sonao Takami (58), a death row inmate. In July 2009, at a pachinko parlor near his home in Osaka's Konohana Ward, he poured gasoline and set himself on fire, killing four customers and one employee, and seriously injuring 10 others. In December, he was charged with murder, attempted murder, and arson of a residential building, and was sentenced to death following a Supreme Court ruling in February 2016.

It took nine years and five months from confirmation to execution. The Criminal Procedure Code stipulates that the Minister of Justice must issue an order within six months of the decision being made, and the order must be executed within five days. However, it is said to be a ``disciplinary provision'' with no penalties for violating it.

As of the end of last year, there were 105 people on death row.

According to Ministry of Justice statistics, there were 105 prisoners on death row as of the end of 2025. The number of inmates at the end of the year has been over 100 for 19 years since 2007.