LIST OF FEMALE DEFENDANTS WHO ARE UNDER 

 SENTENCE OF DEATH IN JAPAN

SUPREME COURT   Sentences = 8 

 HIGH COURT        Sentences  =  0     

DISTRICT COURT  Sentences   = 0

TOTAL = 8

Non-Japanese Defendants  = 0

Name (Last/First) 

Place of Detention (POD)

Sentencing Dates

KEY:

SC = Supreme Court

HC = High Court 

DC = District Court

Case Name

Date of Incident

Notes

~~~~~

Later Actions

Fujinami Tomoko (F)

 藤波知子

b. 1945 age = 77

(Previous family name was Miyazaki.)

POD: Nagoya

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1998/09/04 SC

1992/03/31  Nagoya HC

1988/02/09 Toyama DC

Toyama Nagano Double Women Murder

富山長野2女性

殺人事件

1980.02.23 & 1980.03.06

A male accomplice first admitted guilt but later recanted, and was found not guilty. Insists the real culprit is someone else. 

~~~~~~

2007/03/24 

Toyama DC

Request for retrial denied.

Ishikawa Keiko(F)

石川恵子

b. 1959

POD: Fukuoka

2006/09/21 SC

2003/03/27  Fukuoka HC Miyazaki Branch

2001/06/20  Miyazaki DC

Miyazaki Double

Women Murder

宮崎２女性

殺人事件

1996/08 & 97/06

Denies the charges, has plead innocent.

Hayashi Masumi (F)

林真須美

b. 1961/07/22

POD: Osaka

2009/04/21 SC

2005/06/28  Osaka HC

2002/12/11 Wakayama DC

Wakayama Curry Case Murders (x4)

1998/07/25 

Insists upon innocence. Case based upon circumstantial evidence. 

Has support association and publishes a newsletter entitled "Aozora Tsuushin."

2021/06/20 New appeal filed. Currently being defended by a former judge.

Support Information from the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty: [ Read ]

Kazama Hiroko(F) 

風間博子

POD: Tokyo

2009/06/05 SC

2005/07/11  Tokyo HC

2001/03/21  Urawa DC

Saitama Dog Lover's Multiple (x4) Murders Case

埼玉愛犬家連続

殺人事件

1993

Codefendant with Sekine Hajime who was sentenced to death and later died in prison. Denies participation in the murder.

Kitamura Mami (F)

北村真美

b. 1959

POD: Fukuoka

2011/10/03 SC

2007/12/25 Fukuoka HC

2006/10/17 Fukuoka DC Kurume Branch

Ohmuta Quadruple Murders

大牟田４人殺人事件

2004/09/18

Entire family of four sentenced to death. Husband and elder son sentenced on 2007/02/27.

[ More ]

Doi Kanae (F)

木嶋佳苗

b. 1975

POD:  Tokyo

2017/04/13 SC

2014/03/12 Tokyo HC

2012/04/13 Saitama DC

Sequential Suspicious Tokyo Murders (x3)

首都圏連続不審死事件

2009 Jan~August

14th death sentence handed down by mixed jurors. 

Previous name was Kijima

(More)

Ueta Miyuki (F)

上田美由紀

b. 1974

POD:  Tokyo

2017/07/27 SC

2014/03/20 Hiroshima HC

2012/12/04 Tottori DC 

Murder/Robbery of Two Male Acquaintances

15th death sentence handed down by mixed jurors. 

( More )

Kakehi Chisako (F)

筧千佐子

b. 1947 Age= 74

POD: Osaka

2021/06/29 SC

2019/05/23 Osaka HC

2017/11/7 Kyoto DC

Triple Murder

(Husband and two common law partners)

27th death sentence handed down by mixed jurors. 

70 years old at time of sentence. Suffers from dementia. High court denied a second psychiatric review.

More

HIGH COURT Sentences = 0

DISTRICT COURT Sentences = 0

Comparative Metrics

USA vs Japan

Women:  Death Sentences / Most Recent Execution

Women Sentenced to Death

Total Death Sentences

Percent

of

Women

Last

Female 

Execution

USA

50

2464

2.03%

2021/JAN/13

JAPAN

8

107

6.95%

2016/MAR/30

CHART 2: WOMEN EXECUTED IN JAPAN

Postwar Period: 1945 to present

Total = 5

Name (Last/First) 

Place of Detention (POD)

Sentencing Dates

KEY:

SC = Supreme Court

HC = High Court 

DC = District Court

Case Name

Date of Incident

Notes

~~~~~

Later Actions

Kobayashi Kau

小林カウ

b. 1908

1970/06/10 Executed

~~~~

1966/07/14 SC

1963/Aug Utsunomiya DC

Husband Murder 

1951

Hotel Owner Murders(x2)

ホテル日本閣殺人事件1960/12/31

Sentenced to death despite confession. 

First woman executed in the postwar era.

Sugimura Sadame

 杉村サダメ

1970/09/19 Executed

~~~~~~

1963/03/28 SC

Multiple Female Poisoning Case (x4)

女性連続毒殺魔事件1960/11/06

Sentenced to death despite confession. 

Hidaka Nobuko

日高信子

1997/08/01 Executed

〜〜〜〜

1988/10/11 SC

1987/03/09 Sapporo DC

Yubari Insurance Murders (x7)

夕張保険金殺人事件

1984/05/05 

Husband and wife both executed on same day. 

27 year hiatus since last female execution.

Nagayama Norio, teen killer and prolific author, arrested in 1968, executed on the same day in Tokyo.

Eto Sachiko (F)

江藤幸子

b. 1947

2012/09/27 Executed

~~~~~~~

08/09/16 SC

05/11/22  Sendai HC

02/05/10 Fukushima DC

Sukagawa Exorcist Deaths(x6)

須賀川信者6人変死事件

Dec '94 ~June '95

The defendant's mental competence was in dispute by experts. Co-conspirators received lesser sentences. ( More )

Yoshida Junko (F)

2016/03/30 Executed

~~~~~~~~~

10/03/18 SC

06/05/16  Fukuoka HC

04/09/24  Fukuoka DC 

Multiple Insurance Murders by Nurses (x2)

看護士連続保険金

殺人事件

98/01/24~

99/03/27

Instructed accomplices but did not participate in the murders. 

Sentenced to death despite confession. 

2 accomplices received lesser sentences. 

[ More ]

CHART 3: Women sentenced to death, died in incarceration

Total = 3

Name (Last/First) 

Place of Detention (POD)

Sentencing Dates

KEY:

SC = Supreme Court

HC = High Court 

DC = District Court

Case Name

Date of Incident

Notes

~~~~~

Later Actions

Sakamoto Haruno (F)

坂本春野

Osaka

Died 2011/01/27 (aged 83)

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

04/11/19 SC

00/09/28 Takamatsu HC

98/07/29 Takamatsu DC

Kochi Double Murder Case

高知２件連続

殺人事件

87/01  92/08

Age 77 at time of SC sentence. Insisted upon innocence.

[ More ]

Nagata Hiroko （F)  

永田洋子

Tokyo

Died 2011/02/06 (Age 65)

~~~~~~~~~

93/02/19 SC

86/09/26 Tokyo HC

82/06/18 Tokyo DC

Red Army Activities

連合赤軍事件

71--72/02

b. 45/02/08

Considered the charge of complicity to be extra-judicial and requested extradition abroad. Author of "16 Grave Inscriptions," "I am alive" and other works (in Japanese). 

( More )

Chiba Shoko (F)

千葉正子

b. 1962

08/12/29 suicide.

~~~ ~~~

08/10/08 Iwate DC

Iwate Temple Murder and Robbery

2007 June 11

( More )