Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi held an extraordinary press conference on the 21st and announced that Sunao Takami (58), a death row inmate who was sentenced to death for murder and other crimes in 2009 when he set fire to a pachinko parlor in Osaka's Konohana Ward, killing five people, was executed at the Osaka Detention Center on the morning of the same day. This was the first execution in a year and two months since June 2025, and the first under the Takaichi administration.
Justice Minister Hiraguchi pointed out, ``This was an extremely cruel crime in which a large number of people were indiscriminately burnt to death based on careful planning and preparation.It resulted in extremely serious consequences, including the loss of the precious lives of five victims, and caused great shock and fear in society.'' "I ordered the execution of the death penalty after careful and careful consideration," he said. He reportedly signed the execution order on the 18th.
According to the final verdict, on July 5, 2009, Takami doused a pachinko parlor near his home with gasoline and set it on fire, burning four customers and one employee to death, and seriously injuring 10 others. He turned himself in and was arrested the day after the incident.
At trial, the defense argued that ``he was under the influence of delusions and his capacity for responsibility was limited.'' The Osaka District Court of First Instance judgment in 2011 and the Osaka High Court of Second Instance judgment in 2013 both found him to be fully responsible. The Supreme Court's ruling in 2016 was also upheld, saying, ``While he continued his activities while thinking about finding a job that met his aspirations and a future lifestyle, he decided to commit the crime out of dissatisfaction with the current situation, and the influence of delusions was not significant.''
The defense also argued that ``hanging violates Article 36 of the Constitution, which prohibits cruel punishment.'' The first, second, and Supreme Courts all ruled that it was constitutional. The first trial was held as a lay judge, and was the first case in which citizens' opinions regarding the hanging were reflected.
Regarding the execution method of hanging, Justice Minister Hiraguchi explained, ``The Ministry of Justice considers the same,'' referring to a 1959 Supreme Court en banc ruling that found ``there is no reason to believe that it is particularly cruel in terms of humanity compared to other methods.'' ``We are not particularly considering reconsidering the method of execution,'' he said.
In June 2025, the Ministry of Justice executed Takahiro Shiraishi, a death row inmate who had been sentenced to death for murdering nine people in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture in 2017, for crimes including robbery and forced sexual intercourse. It was the longest execution since November 1998, when the facts and number of people sentenced to death began to be made public, after two years and 11 months.
With the execution of Takami, the number of confirmed death row inmates has increased to 100. Of these, 43 are currently requesting a retrial.
Regarding the death penalty system, in 2014, the ``Council on Japan's Death Penalty System'' (chaired by Ryo Ida, professor emeritus at Chuo University) proposed that a conference body be established under the Diet or the Cabinet to conduct a fundamental study, stating that there are many problems with the current system and its operation that cannot be left unaddressed. In 2024, Iwao Hakamada, who had been sentenced to death, was acquitted at a retrial.
Kiyoshi (69), the father of the victim Mai Nobehara (20 at the time), who was working at a pachinko parlor at the time, responded to a telephone interview.
It has been 17 years since the incident occurred and 10 years since the Supreme Court decision.
``Why did he do that?'' he said, expressing his still unanswered questions.
It wasn't like her daughter was stabbed directly, but rather, ``I was too late to escape.It's strange to say this, but I don't really have any hatred towards (death row inmate Takami).''
On the other hand, ``I try not to think about (Mai) on a regular basis,'' so as not to make things difficult.
In a choked voice, he said, ``I really want him to survive. I wish he had managed to escape.''
He learned about the execution around noon on the 21st through internet news, and said, ``Honestly, I was surprised because it was so sudden.''
