New Delhi, Aug. 21 -- A man who killed five people by setting fire to a pachinko parlor in 2009 was hanged Friday in Japan's first execution by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi 's government as the country faces growing calls for more transparency and the abolition of capital punishment.

Sunao Takami set fire to the crowded pachinko parlor in Osaka by spreading gasoline and throwing a lit match, engulfing the building, killing five and injuring 10 others, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said.

"It caused extremely serious outcomes and dealt a major shock and fear to the society," he told a news conference, adding "the victims whose lives were taken away must have felt unimaginable pain and fear, and those who suffered injuries . were for...