Execution in Japan: Osaka pachinko parlor arsonist Takami Moto goes to jail

(Central News Agency reporter Dai Yazhen, Tokyo, 21st) Japan’s Minister of Justice, Hiroko Hiroko, announced today that the death penalty for Takami Mounao, the 2009 Pachinko parlor arsonist in Osaka, has been executed this morning. Regarding whether Japan's execution of the death penalty by hanging is too cruel, he said that the Ministry of Justice does not believe that hanging is particularly cruel in humane terms than other methods, and there are currently no plans to review execution methods.

The Asahi Shimbun reported that this was Japan’s second execution after a lapse of one year and two months since June 2025, and it was also the first execution after the Takaichi Sanae regime came to power. As Takami Moto faces justice, there are currently 100 death row prisoners in Japan, 43 of whom are applying for retrial.

Japan's Minister of Justice Hiroko held an impromptu press conference and announced that the execution of 58-year-old death row inmate Takami Mounao had been carried out at the Osaka Detention Center in the morning. Takami was sentenced to death for murder and other crimes for setting a fire at a pachinko shop in Osaka's Nakahana district in 2009, killing five people.

Hiraguchi said, "This was an extremely cruel crime that was carefully planned and prepared in an attempt to burn many people to death in an indiscriminate manner. The incident took the precious lives of five victims, caused extremely serious consequences, and brought huge shock and fear to society."

He said that he ordered the execution of the death penalty after "extremely careful consideration and judgment," and revealed that he signed the execution order on the 18th.

In the Takami case, the defense argued during the trial that the "hanging" currently used in Japan violated Article 36 of the Japanese Constitution prohibiting cruel punishment. However, the first instance, the second instance and the Supreme Court all ruled that hanging was constitutional.

Regarding whether hanging should be reviewed, Hiraguchi cited a 1959 Supreme Court ruling that found no reason to consider hanging "particularly cruel in humane terms compared with other methods." He said the Ministry of Justice held the same position.

He emphasized that "there is currently no special consideration to review the execution method of the death penalty."

Article 11 of the Japanese Criminal Code stipulates that the death penalty must be carried out by hanging. In recent years, several death row inmates in Japan have filed lawsuits, claiming that hanging may take some time from execution to death, and that the process is extremely painful and violates Article 36 of the Japanese Constitution. However, they were all rejected by the court.