A man executed on Tuesday by TOKYO Kyodo Japan over a 2008 rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district, in which seven people were killed and 10 others were wounded, a source familiar with the case said, marking the second hanging ordered by the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Tomohiro Kato, 39, ran down pedestrians with a truck in a vehicle-free pedestrian zone in the district on June 8, 2008, killing three people and injuring two. He fatally stabbed four other people with a dagger after exiting the vehicle, and injured another eight, according to the ruling that was finalized in 2015.
Tuesday's execution was the first since December.
Japan's capital punishment system has drawn international criticism, with opponents calling for greater transparency in the timing of executions, as death-row inmates are typically notified just hours before or not given prior notification at all. They claim that the procedure deprives death-row inmates of the chance to reflect on their crimes.
During court proceedings, Kato's defense counsel argued that he should not face capital punishment because he was in a state of insanity or diminished capacity at the time of the incident because of severe psychological stress.
In March 2011, the Tokyo District Court sentenced the former temporary worker to death, stating that he could be held fully responsible.
The ruling found that Kato was motivated by rage after being harassed on an internet forum and that his acts were cruel and deeply shocked all of the Japanese society. The decision was upheld by the Tokyo High Court in September 2012 and then finalized by the Supreme Court in February 2015.