21.08.2026 11:31
A prisoner who set fire to a game arcade in Osaka, Japan in 2009, killing 5 people, was executed by hanging.
A prisoner who set fire to a game arcade in Osaka, Japan, in 2009, killing 5 people, has been executed by hanging.
According to Kyodo, the execution of 58-year-old inmate Sunao Takami was carried out. Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said at a press conference, "After careful and meticulous evaluations, I gave the order for the execution to be carried out."
FIRST INMATE EXECUTED SINCE 2025
Takami set fire to a game arcade on July 5, 2009, by pouring gasoline on the floor, resulting in 5 deaths and 10 injuries.
Takami, whose death sentence was finalized in 2016, became the first inmate executed in the country since June 2025.
Takami's execution was recorded as the "first execution during the term of Japanese Prime Minister Takaiichi Sanae."