Japan executes man over 2008 frenzied attack in Tokyo

Japan on Tuesday executed a man over a frenzied attack in the Akihabara district of Tokyo in 2008, which left seven people dead and 10 injured, the country's justice minister said.

Tomohiro Kato, 39, plowed through pedestrians with a truck in a no-vehicle zone in the popular shopping and tourist district on June 8, 2008, killing three people and injuring two in the vehicle onslaught.

After stopping the truck, he exited and proceeded to indiscriminately stab four other people with a long-bladed dagger, injuring eight more in the rampage, the 2015 court ruling said.

"The incident had had a significant impact on society as it deprived seven people of their precious lives," Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa told a press briefing Tuesday.

"After careful and then more careful consideration," Furukawa said he signed the execution order for Kato last Friday.

Two executions have been conducted under the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with three death-row inmates involved in multiple murders hanged in December 2021.

The number of death-row inmates in Japan now stands at 106, according to official figures.