Japan сarries out first execution under Prime Minister Takaichi

Japan carried out a death sentence on Friday, marking the first execution since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office, Japanese Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said.

According to Report, citing Kyodo, the executed 58-year-old Sunao Takami was convicted of murder after setting fire to a pachinko parlor in Osaka in 2009. Takami became the first person executed in Japan since June 2025.

Takami poured gasoline on the floor of the establishment and set it on fire. Five people were killed and 10 others were injured. His death sentence was finally confirmed in 2016.

The previous execution in Japan took place in June 2025, when 34-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the "Twitter killer," was executed after being convicted of murdering nine people.