Japan executes 3 death-row inmates

Jiji Press

17:31 JST, December 21, 2021

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Justice Ministry said Tuesday that three death-row inmates, including a man, 65, who killed seven people in the city of Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, were executed the same day.

The executions were the first in the country since December 2019 and also the first under the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took office in early October this year.

The two executed inmates other than the 65-year-old, Yasutaka Fujishiro, were Tomoaki Takanezawa, 54, and Mitsunori Onogawa, 44, who conspired to kill two “pachinko” pinball parlor workers in Gunma Prefecture.

In his inaugural press conference in October, Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said, “I think that the death penalty is unavoidable for people committing crimes that the majority of the public believes are extremely malicious and atrocious,” signaling his support for the country maintaining the capital punishment system.