24/08/2026 (Agence Europe) – In a joint statement, the European Union delegation to Japan, supported by the diplomatic missions of the EU Member States, Norway and Switzerland, strongly deplored the execution of Sunao Takami, which took place on 21 August in Osaka. The 58-year-old man had been sentenced in 2011 for deliberately starting a fire that killed five people. The authors of the statement reiterated their absolute opposition to the death penalty, stressing that it “fails to act as a deterrent to crime and makes possible miscarriages of justice irreversible”. Noting that the majority of countries around the world have already abolished it, they again called on the Japanese authorities to “adopt a moratorium on executions” and requested “an urgent and thorough review” of the death penalty in the country. This is the first use of capital punishment under the government of Sanae Takaichi, which was formed last October; the last execution prior to this was carried out in June 2025. (JM)