WAKAYAMA — 1998 · Murder
The Wakayama Curry Poisoning
On 25 July 1998, arsenic was added to a communal pot of curry at a summer festival in the Sonobe neighbourhood of Wakayama. Sixty-seven people who ate it were hospitalised, and four died, including two officials of the neighbourhood association and two children. A few months later a woman living in the neighbourhood was arrested. With no direct evidence, circumstantial findings, such as the arsenic being 'very similar' to samples taken from her home, proved decisive. She was sentenced to death in 2002, and the sentence was finalised by the Supreme Court in 2009. She continues to maintain her innocence, and her family's retrial requests are ongoing.
- Date
- 1998
- Place
- Sonobe, Wakayama, Wakayama, JP
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 34.2620, 135.1990 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 25 July 1998Arsenic was added to the festival curry; 4 died and 67 were poisoned.
- October 1998A woman living in the neighbourhood was arrested.
- 2002The Wakayama District Court imposed the death penalty.
- 21 April 2009The Supreme Court rejected the appeal; the sentence became final.
- 2025Retrial requests remained on the agenda.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Wakayama curry-poisoning incident en.wikipedia.org ↗
- CBC News — Japan's top court upholds death penalty in curry poisoning cbc.ca ↗
- France 24 (AFP) — Family fights for death-row retrial france24.com ↗
- Wikipedia (EN)
- CBC News
- AFP / France 24
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.