Japanese figure in headlines around the death-penalty debate
Sunao Takami, 58, has been hanged after being convicted for the 2009 Osaka pachinko-parlour arson that killed five and injured ten. Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi says the punishment reflects “careful and thorough considerations” amid ongoing global scrutiny of capital punishment. Takami’s execution is the first under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government and comes as Japan faces renewed calls for transparency.