Japan Executes Man Convicted of 2009 Pachinko Parlor Fire that Killed Five

In a move that has sparked controversy and criticism, Japan has executed a man convicted of setting fire to a pachinko parlor in Osaka in 2009, resulting in the deaths of five people and injuring 10 others.

Sunao Takami, 58, was hanged to death on Friday, marking the first execution under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government. The execution comes at a time when Japan is facing growing calls for more transparency and the abolition of capital punishment.

According to Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi, Takami set fire to the crowded pachinko parlor by spreading gasoline and throwing a lit match, causing ‘extremely serious outcomes’ and ‘a major shock and fear to the society.’

Takami was convicted of murder, attempted murder, and arson and sentenced to death in a 2011 Osaka District Court ruling. His appeals up to the top court were rejected in 2016 by a Supreme Court decision upholding the death penalty.

Japan now has 100 people on death row, including 43 seeking retrials, Hiraguchi said. The country has faced growing criticism over its use of the death penalty, as a majority of the international community has abolished capital punishment. Japan and the U.S. are the only two countries in the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations that put people to death.

Executions are carried out in secrecy in Japan, where prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning of their hanging. Since 2007, Japan has begun disclosing the names of those executed and some details of their crimes, but disclosures are still limited.

Hiraguchi said he has no intention to change the ongoing practice, saying disclosure of additional details would disturb the mental state of the death-row inmates. The execution was carried out during a parliamentary recess, a move criticized as a tactic to avoid public debate. Hiraguchi denied it was intentional.

Japan previously executed in June 2025 a man known as the ‘Twitter killer,’ who was convicted of killing and dismembering nine people in his apartment near Tokyo in 2017. Japan’s crime rate is relatively low, but it has seen some high-profile mass killings in recent years.

The execution of Takami has reignited the debate on capital punishment in Japan, with many calling for more transparency and the abolition of the death penalty. As the country continues to grapple with the issue, it remains to be seen whether Japan will continue to follow the path of executing those convicted of capital crimes.

Bullet points summarizing key points:

• Sunao Takami, 58, executed for setting fire to a pachinko parlor in Osaka in 2009, killing 5 and injuring 10.
• First execution under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government.
• Takami convicted of murder, attempted murder, and arson and sentenced to death in 2011.
• Appeals up to the top court rejected in 2016.
• Japan has 100 people on death row, including 43 seeking retrials.
• Executions carried out in secrecy, with prisoners not informed of their fate until the morning of their hanging.