Source: Amnesty International
In response to today’s execution in Japan of a man convicted of the murder of nine people, Chiara Sangiorgio, Death Penalty Advisor at Amnesty International, said:
“The execution of Takahiro Shiraishi – the first in Japan in nearly three years – is the latest callous attack on the right to life in Japan and a major setback for the country’s human rights record.
“Last year’s acquittal of Hakamada Iwao, formerly the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner, laid bare the unfairness of Japan’s criminal justice system and use of the death penalty and was an ideal opportunity to change course.
“But instead of moving to reform and ensure full protection of human rights, the government has chosen to resume executions. This is a significant setback to efforts to end the use of the death penalty in Japan.
“As of today, 113 countries worldwide have completely abolished the death penalty in law, and more than 144 have abandoned it in law or practice, yet Japan continues to use this inhuman punishment.
“The secrecy that continues to surround the notification of executions make the use of this punishment in Japan additionally cruel. The Japanese authorities must immediately introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step toward abolishing the death penalty entirely —and commute all death sentences to terms of imprisonment.”
Background
According to Japan’s Ministry of Justice, the execution of Takahiro Shiraishi was carried out on 27 June 2025.
Shiraishi was convicted in 2020 of the killing of nine people in 2017 by Tokyo District Court and sentenced to death.
This is the first execution under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who came to power in October 2024, and the first since July 2022.
Executions in Japan are shrouded in secrecy, with prisoners typically given only a few hours’ notice and given no warning at all before their death sentences are carried out. Their families are usually notified about the execution only after it has taken place.
Japan is one of a small group of countries that has carried out executions in recent years. Amnesty International recorded 1,518 executions in 15 countries in 2024 (excluding the thousands believed to have been carried out in China), an increase by 32% from the 1,153 recorded in 2023 largely driven by a spike in three countries in the Middle East – Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
On 26 September 2024, a long-awaited ruling was delivered by Shizuoka District Court to acquit Hakamada Iwao, described as the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime, guilt, innocence or other characteristics of the individual, or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.
