Japan executes man for 2009 pachinko parlor fire that killed five

Japan executed Sunao Takami, 58, on Friday for setting fire to a pachinko parlor in Osaka in 2009, killing five people and injuring ten. It was the first execution under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government and the first since June 2025. Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi confirmed the hanging after careful consideration.