Sunao Takami

Sunao Takami, a 58-year-old man, was executed in Japan for setting fire to a pachinko parlor in Osaka in 2009, an act that resulted in the deaths of five people, including four customers and one employee. Takami had doused the establishment near his home with gasoline and ignited it. The execution, which occurred on a Friday, marked Japan's first use of the death penalty in over a year, with the previous execution being that of "Twitter killer" Takahiro Shiraishi in June 2025. Takami's defense was rejected by a jury and judges. The incident highlights the severity of the crime and Japan's stance on capital punishment for such offenses.