Episode Details

Japan executed Sunao Takami, convicted for a 2009 arson that killed five people in an Osaka pachinko parlor — the first execution since June 2025. The Justice Minister called the crime devastating and said Takami was notified of his sentence Friday morning, as is customary to avoid emotional suffering. Japan, alongside the U.S., remains one of only two G7 nations still using capital punishment, with 83% public support according to a 2024 survey — though abolitionist sentiment is slowly rising. Globally, executions surged in 2025, led by Iran, while Japan faces criticism for secrecy around executions, despite starting to name inmates since 2007. Wrongful conviction cases persist, and although law mandates executions within six months of sentencing, many spend years in solitary confinement — raising serious mental health concerns.

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