Death penalty carried out in Japan for the first time since June 2025
The Japanese government has announced that it has carried out the execution of one death row inmate. This marks the first time a death sentence has been carried out in Japan since June 2025.
The individual executed was Sunao Takami (58). Takami had been sentenced to death for an incident in which he poured gasoline on the floor of a pachinko parlor and set it on fire, causing death and injury to many people.
According to the Ministry of Justice, this is the first execution to take place since Sanae Takaichi assumed the office of Minister of Justice. Regarding the execution of the death penalty, various opinions have been raised by human rights organizations and the international community, and debate continues within Japan as well.
Japan is one of the few developed countries in the world that maintains the death penalty system. Following this execution, renewed attention is being focused on the nature of the capital punishment system and perspectives on criminal sentencing.