List of death row inmates in Japan

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

The country of Japan had 107 people on death row as of December 21, 2021.[1]

List of death row inmates

[edit]
Name Crime Time on death row Notes
Shinji Aoba Perpetrator of the Kyoto Animation arson attack, where 36 people died. 329 days Aoba committed the arson due to the belief that the animation studio had plagiarized his work.
Ryuta Arai [ja] Drugged and drowned his uncle in 2008, and killed another woman a year later to steal their life insurance 12 years, 299 days Accomplice was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Katsumi Asayama [ja] Committed three arson-murders between 2010 and 2011 in an attempt to have his wife return to him. 11 years, 191 days Asayama's wife, an accomplice in the third crime, received an 18-year sentence.
Chen Daiwei [ja] Murdered two employees at a pachinko parlor during a failed robbery. 29 years, 4 days Chinese illegal aliens and the first foreign nationals to be sentenced to death in Japan since 1964. A third accomplice, alleged to be the ringleader, fled overseas and is an internationally wanted fugitive.
He Li
Yutaro Chiba [ja] Broke into his ex-girlfriend's home and stabbed to death her older sister and a former classmate. 14 years, 24 days The ex-girlfriend and a male friend of her older sister were also stabbed, but survived.
Yuki Endo [ja] Killed his ex-girlfriend's parents and set their house on fire in 2021. 337 days Withdrew his appeals a month after his conviction.
Tsune Eto Murdered a married couple in Sakai. 23 years, 272 days
Yukiharu Fuchigami Killed an accomplice in a car insurance scam in March 1999, and then another man in September of that year. 21 years, 207 days Suffers from muscular dystrophy
Masayasu Fujii Ordered the murders of three people over monetary disputes between 1970 and 1973. 47 years, 263 days His two accomplices were also sentenced to death initially, but had the sentences commuted to life on appeal.
Tomoko Fujinami [ja] Kidnapped and killed a high school girl and a female office worker in February and March 1980, then made phone calls to demand ransom. 36 years, 314 days A man named Hiroshi Kitano was arrested as her alleged accomplice, but was later found not guilty and exonerated.

Fujinami is currently Japan's longest-serving female death row inmate.

Soji Fujisaki Murdered two elderly women during separate robberies in January 2005. 18 years, 363 days Alleged to be mentally-ill.
Ryoji Goto [ja] Gangster who ordered the murders of two acquaintances to avoid being implicated in other crimes. 21 years, 299 days Since his original conviction, Goto has confessed involvement in additional murders.
Kunihiko Hamakawa Shot and killed an insurance agent and a trader in separate incidents in 1994, then stole money from their bank accounts. 22 years, 1 day His accomplice Haruseki Kin was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the crimes
Shizuo Hasegawa [ja] Hired a hitman to kill his younger brother to so he can acquire their deceased mother's inheritance. 17 years, 331 days At the time of the crime, Hasegawa was on parole from a life sentence for a previous murder. The hitman, Katsumi Suzuki, received a 30-year sentence for his role in the murder.
Masumi Hayashi Committed a mass poisoning at a 1998 summer festival by putting poison in a pot of curry. The poisoning killed two children and two adults. 22 years, 8 days
Hiroaki Hida [ja] Stabbed the president and managing director of a dried fish store during a robbery in 2012. 8 years, 25 days Hida, a former employee at the store, claims he is innocent and is appealing to have a retrial.
Kazuo Hokao [ja] Murdered his lover's husband in 1992 and one of her sons in 1998 to secure their insurance. 21 years, 323 days His lover, Reiko Yamaguchi, was initially sentenced to death but later had her sentence reduced to life imprisonment.
Kosei Homi Set ablaze multiple buildings in the town of Mitake in July 2013, killing five people. 9 years, 205 days
Yoshitomo Hori Murdered married couple Kazuo and Satomi Magoori during a robbery of their pachinko parlor in Owariasahi on June 28, 1998. 9 years, 34 days He was linked to the crime years later via DNA. Hori later participated as an accomplice in the murder of Rie Isogai, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Won I-san [ja] Murdered three people as part of a robbery gang active between October and December 1993. 28 years, 153 days Malaysian citizen.
Shinichi Shimoyama 26 years, 207 days
Hiroyuki Ikeda [ja] Murdered the owners of a mahjong parlor over a drug smuggling dispute, dismembering them alive with an electric saw. 14 years, 33 days Multiple accomplices were convicted and received lesser sentences, while another remains a wanted fugitive.

First death sentence to be passed by a lay judge in the country.

Hayato Imai Murdered at least three elderly patients at a nursing home from November to December 2014, where he worked as a nurse. 6 years, 272 days
Takeo Inokuma Former police officer who murdered five people in the vicinity of Lake Yamanaka in October 1984. 37 years, 166 days Inokuma asserts that he was forced to commit the killings on behalf of a loan shark.
Keiko Ishikawa Murdered two women in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1994 and 1996. 23 years, 182 days
Tomohiro Iwakura [ja] Strangled to death four family members and a male neighbor between March and April 2018. 4 years, 8 days
Toshiaki Kaga Stabbed and strangled a mother and her daughter at their home in Isehara, then withdrew money from their bank accounts. 20 years, 319 days
Chisako Kakehi Murdered three elderly men, including her husband, with cyanide from 2007 to 2013. 7 years, 42 days Additionally suspected in the murders of seven other men, but has not been charged.
Masaharu Kamimiya [ja] Stabbed to death a police officer during a robbery, stole his gun, and then killed a store clerk in another robbery. 36 years, 55 days Neither of the murder weapons were never recovered, and Kamimiya continues to insist that he is innocent.
Yukio Kaneiwa [ja] Murdered two girlfriends in 1999 and 2003, dismembering their remains afterwards. 17 years, 300 days
Hajime Kanekawa [ja] Stabbed to death a 21-year-old housewife in Kumamoto during an attempted rape. 41 years, 277 days The crime was committed shortly after he was released from prison for a 1969 murder conviction. Kanekawa was originally sentenced to life imprisonment, but this was changed to a death sentence on appeal.
Tatsuya Kawasaki [ja] Murdered two acquaintances in separate incidents in January and July 2016. 6 years, 300 days Withdrew his appeals and his death sentence finalized.
Hiroko Kazama Together with her husband, Gen Sekine and a third accomplice, murdered at least four people who wanted to purchase dogs from their home in Kumagaya from April to August 1993. 23 years, 273 days The trio were suspected of several other murders, but were never charged. Sekine died on death row in 2017, and the accomplice, Eikō Yamazaki, turned state's witness.
Kanae Kijima Convicted for poisoning three would-be husbands and suspected of four more, spanning from 2007 to 2009. 7 years, 249 days Also known as "The Konkatsu Killer", for her frequenting of "konkatsu" (marriage-hunting) websites.
Mami Kitamura Murdered four people between September 18 to 20, 2004. 17 years, 295 days All four member of the family were part of the Kitamura-gumi gang.
Jitsuo Kitamura
Takashi Kitamura
Takahiro Kitamura
Masato Kobayashi Leaders of a gang of youths who raped and murdered three people across three prefectures over a period of 11 days. 23 years, 163 days
Masayoshi Haga [ja] 19 years, 146 days Both Haga and Kurosawa were initially sentenced to life imprisonment, but their sentences were commuted to death on appeal.
Atsushi Kurosawa
Ryuji Kobayashi [ja] Main participant in a gang assault that resulted in two people being buried alive and suffocating to death. 17 years, 211 days The mastermind who orchestrated the crime was sentenced to life imprisonment, while the remaining accomplices received lesser sentences.
Masato Kohinata [ja] Sumiyoshi-kai gangsters who murdered a rival gang member and three bystanders during a shooting at a snack bar in Maebashi in 2003. 19 years, 205 days
Kenichiro Yamada 17 years, 212 days
Hirofumi Komatsu [ja] Stabbed to death his wife and five children at their home in Hitachi, then set the house on fire. 172 days
Takeshi Koizumi [ja] Stabbed to death civil servant Takehiko Yamaguchi and his wife during a home invasion. 14 years, 264 days Also attacked another civil servant, Kenji Yoshihara, who survived.

Koizumi, a diagnosed schizophrenic, claimed that the attack was carried out as revenge for the government euthanizing his pet dog.

Masataka Kurayoshi Murdered a man and a woman during a failed robbery in Fukuoka. 25 years, 269 days
Kazuya Kuwata [ja] Murdered his girlfriend in 2005, followed by his wife in 2010. 13 years, 180 days
Lin Shinka [ja] Murdered a woman and her son who interrupted him during a burglary in their house. 9 years, 303 days Chinese national. He also attacked another one of the sons, who survived the attack.
Hiromi Manaka Murdered two classmates in August and September 1989. 30 years, 166 days
Toshiaki Masunaga [ja] East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front terrorist who participated in the bombing of several offices between 1972 and 1975, killing eight people and injuring numerous others. 45 years, 37 days
Tomohiro Matsubara [ja] Murdered a family of three in 2010. 13 years, 269 days Three accomplices in the crime received lesser sentences.
Kazufumi Ito 12 years, 358 days
Kazuhiro Matsumoto Murdered three people in Japan and the Philippines for insurance fraud between 1994 and 1996. 22 years, 324 days His twin brother Akihiro was also sentenced to death, but died awaiting execution in 2016.
Eiichi Shimoura
Kenji Matsumoto Murdered two people during separate robberies in September 1990 and September 1991. 31 years, 93 days Alleged to be mentally-ill due to being born with Minamata disease.
Misao Matsumoto Severely injured two people in separate attacks in December 1990 and July 1991, later causing their deaths. 31 years, 117 days
Futoshi Matsunaga Defrauded, tortured and murdered seven to nine people between 1996 and 1998. 19 years, 82 days His accomplice, Junko Ogata, received a life sentence.
Nobuyuki Morimoto Murdered two Filipina women. 24 years, 293 days One of his accomplices' death sentences was later reduced to life, while the other died before the trial could conclude.
Masami Mukai Murdered two women in separate attacks in Shizuoka and Aichi from 1996 to 1997. 24 years, 153 days Alleges that he is innocent for one of the murders, claiming that the police tortured him into confessing.
Seiichiro Muramatsu [ja] Strangled a mother and her adult son during a failed robbery, then set their house ablaze. 39 years, 84 days His younger brother was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Katsuhisa Naga [ja] Suffocated his ex-wife when she refused to reconcile with him; later killed a female acquaintance after several days of torture to satisfy his sadistic fetishes. 23 years, 1 day
Sumio Nakahara Ordered the murders of two Taishu-kai members due to an internal dispute. 21 years, 232 days
Mitsuru Nakata [ja] Police officer who murdered his wife and two children in Ogori in 2017. 5 years, 6 days Due to the fact that the evidence is mostly circumstantial, some allege that Nakata is innocent.
Munehiro Nishiguchi [ja] Murdered two women in separate robberies in November and December 2011. 10 years, 284 days
Shōzō Nishiyama [ja] Murdered an elderly woman in the mountains near Fukuyama to steal her credit cards. 20 years, 240 days Crime was committed while on parole from a life sentence for a previous murder. Originally sentenced to life, later commuted to death on appeal.

Was tried twice before and received a life sentence both times prior to a third retrial, in which he was resentenced to death.

Nobuo Oda [ja] Murder of two employees at an electronics retail store n Fukuoka. 55 years, 361 days A juvenile accomplice was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment.

Oda is Japan's longest-serving death row inmate.

Kazuhiro Ogawa Murdered 16 people in an arson attack on an adult video arcade. 15 years, 2 days Ogawa told police that he started the fire after deciding to kill himself, but he got scared, and ran away as smoke filled his room.
Hideaki Ogoshi [ja] Murdered his common-law wife's four family members because they convinced her to break up with him over his gambling debts. 39 years, 202 days Ogoshi claims that his ex-wife was the true killer, and that he was framed for the murders.
Shosan Ohama [ja] Murdered a woman and her two daughters in Hiratsuka because of his sensitivity to noise. 49 years, 60 days Japan's oldest serving inmate. Withdrew his appeals in 1977, but has never been executed due to concerns about his mental health.
Kenji Ohashi Murdered two women in Osaka and Gifu in separate robberies. 18 years, 47 days
Akihiro Okumoto [ja] Murdered his wife, 5-month-old son and mother-in-law 14 years, 42 days
Osamu Okura Murdered a colleague and his wife in separate incidents in 2004 and 2005. 17 years, 317 days
Katsuhisa Omori [ja] East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front terrorist who bombed a government building in Hokkaido, killing two people and injuring at least 80 others. 41 years, 265 days Amnesty International alleges that Omori was convicted on flimsy testimony and is actually innocent.
Takayuki Ōtsuki Murdered, robbed and raped 23-year-old Yayoi Motomura and murdered Motomura's 11-month-old daughter, Yuka. 16 years, 241 days Sentenced to death although he was not of the age of maturity (20 years of age in Japan) at that time (18 years). Successfully re-sentenced to death after the prosecution team successfully appealed his initial sentence of life imprisonment.
Kiyotaka Oyama [ja] Murdered his wife and father in October 1998 and March 2000, respectively, to collect their life insurance. 19 years, 236 days
Masayoshi Ozaki [ja] Murdered two people in January 2002 to collect their life insurance. 19 years, 217 days
Tadashi Hara
Tetsuya Sasaki [ja] Murdered his parents because they disapproved of his relationship with a woman working at a brothel. 40 years, 279 days
Hiroshi Sakaguchi Murdered two policemen and another person during a shootout with police in a holiday lodge below Mount Asama. 42 years, 184 days He is a member of the United Red Army and was involved in the murder of 14 other members of the terrorist organization.
Shoichi Sato Murdered 79-year-old Takako Yamana and 51-year-old son Hiroyuki at their home in Usa during a robbery. 170 days
Masakazu Shibasaki [ja] Stabbed to death two police officers at a police station in a failed attempt to steal a handgun for a planned bank robbery. 33 years, 206 days
Takahiro Shiraishi Murdered nine people, mostly suicidal young women he met through Twitter. 4 years, 4 days Three of his victims were high school students. He has stated his desire not to appeal his sentence.
Mineo Suga Defrauded and murdered two men in a scheme involving ficticious transactions on construction projects. 20 years, 283 days
Katsuaki Suzuki [ja] Killed the former president of a textile manufacturing company and his wife in 2004, then stuffed their bodies in an oil drum can. 11 years, 176 days The victims' bodies were found in 2009, and Suzuki was charged shortly afterwards. He claimed to have disposed of the bodies at the behest of an unknown third party.
Akihiko Takahashi [ja] Stabbed to death a married couple in Aizuwakamatsu during a botched robbery. 11 years, 280 days
Suguru Takahashi Gang leader who orchestrated the robbery and subsequent murders of two money lenders in 2001 and 2002. 20 years, 269 days
Sunao Takami [ja] Set fire to the "Cross Niconico" pachinko parlor, killing five people. 13 years, 263 days Currently appealing his sentence on the grounds that Japan's execution method of hanging constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
Yasushi Takao [ja] Pyromaniac who set fires to various homes around Tateyama from 1998 to 2003, killing five people. 19 years, 302 days
Kazuya Takayanagi [ja] Bludgeoned to death his girlfriend Mika Hatafuji and her friend Yoshimi Tanigawa, who witnessed the crime, and then dismembered their remains. 15 years, 277 days
Atsuhiko Tanaka Murdered two right-wing politicians in politically-motivated attacks between 1992 and 1994. 24 years, 278 days Originally sentenced to life imprisonment, commuted to death on appeal.
Gota Tsutsui [ja] Murdered the mother and grandmother of a woman he was stalking. 11 years, 188 days
Kazuya Tsuchiya [ja] Murdered three elderly people during robberies in November and December 2014. 8 years, 152 days
Yoshinori Ueda Perpetrator of the "Osaka Dog Lover Murders", in which he fatally poisoned five people with suxamethonium. 26 years, 276 days
Satoshi Uematsu Perpetrated a mass stabbing that led to the deaths of 19 disabled people. 4 years, 278 days Uematsu was a former worker at the care facility where the incident occurred.
Takashi Uemura Hired gunman who murdered three people from 2010 to 2011. 5 years, 279 days Recorded as the longest lay judge trial in the country's history, lasting a total of 207 days. His accomplice was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Two of the victims' bodies have not been found.

Junichi Watanabe Murdered three accomplices in a ficticious billing fraud scheme 11 years, 325 days Originally sentenced to life, commuted to death on appeal.
Taishi Shimizu [ja] 17 years, 134 days
Ito Reo 17 years, 212 days
Kiyoshi Watanabe Murdered four prostitutes between 1967 and 1973. 49 years, 112 days Originally sentenced to life imprisonment, which was commuted to a death sentence on appeal.
Tsuyoshi Watanabe Murdered a wealthy investment fund manager and his wife in order to obtain their credit cards. 10 years, 254 days Charges were dropped against multiple alleged accomplices due to lack of evidence to implicate them.
Koji Yamada Kidnapped and murdered two high school students in August 2015. 6 years, 1 day Withdrew his appeals and had his death sentence finalized.
Xie Yidi Murdered 64-year-old Isamu Hayakawa, an owner of a noodle factory, and his 57-year-old wife Yoko during a robbery. 18 years, 78 days Chinese national.
Xue Song Murdered a Chinese woman and her husband in Kasukabe when she rejected his romantic advances. 22 years, 301 days Chinese national. Has appealed for a retrial, alleging there were procedural mistakes in his original trial.
Shigeru Yagi Orchestrated the fatal poisonings of two customers at his hostess club in Honjō from 1995 to 1999. 22 years, 78 days His three female accomplices were also convicted and received lesser sentences. Additionally attempted to murder a third man and is suspected to be involved in a third suspicious death dating back to 1989.
Seijiro Yamano Murdered two people as part of a real estate scam. 39 years, 150 days Yamano contends that both murders were made in self-defense. He has written multiple books while on death row.
Morio Yamaguchi Murdered an antique dealer during a robbery, then killed one of his accomplices. 23 years, 188 days His other accomplice died before the trial could conclude.

Originally sentenced to death in 1997, but granted a retrial and was initially sentenced to life. This was later commuted to the death sentence again in 2001.

Kenji Yokota Murdered a female acquaintance and then dismembered her corpse. 22 years, 80 days Crime committed after parole from a life sentence for a previous murder. Originally sentenced to life imprisonment, but commuted to death on appeal.
Hiroshi Zohta [ja] Murdered two people and injured six others during an unprovoked attack in Ikebukuro in 1999. 22 years, 336 days Zohta claimed that the attack was carried out due to his disillusionment with Japanese society.

See also

[edit]
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Japan hangs three death-row inmates in first executions since 2019". The Japan Times. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022. Following Tuesday's executions, the number of inmates sitting on death row in Japan stands at 107.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_death_row_inmates_in_Japan&oldid=1261938982"