Japan executes man for 2009 Osaka arson that killed five

Japan carried out an execution on October 21, putting to death a man convicted in a 2009 arson and murder case at a pachinko parlor in Osaka. This execution is the first in Japan in over a year, with the previous one occurring in June of the prior year.

Justice Minister Hiraguchi Sanae confirmed the execution, describing the crime as "extremely brutal, carried out with meticulous planning and preparation to indiscriminately burn and kill multiple people." The 2009 incident resulted in the deaths of five individuals and left others with severe injuries, causing significant shock and fear in society. The perpetrator, Takami Suna, confessed to the indiscriminate killings, stating he intended to die with others after facing bankruptcy and joblessness.

Takami was sentenced to death in 2011 and his sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2013. His defense argued for diminished responsibility due to mental illness, but the court, based on psychiatric evaluations, found him to have had the capacity to understand right from wrong. The court also ruled that the death penalty, by hanging, was not "exceptionally cruel" compared to other methods, a stance the Ministry of Justice continues to uphold.

This execution brings the number of inmates on death row in Japan to 100, with 43 of them having filed for retrials. In contrast, South Korea has not carried out an execution since December 1997, classifying it as a de facto abolitionist state for capital punishment for the past 29 years. Japan, however, continues its practice of capital punishment.