Born in Osaka, Japan

1943

Mother died of an illness (when he was 5 years old)

1946

Adopted into the Yamano family (8 years old)

1958

Quit school (Architectural Dept., K Univ., Osaka) (20 years old)

1964

Established a construction company in Osaka (26 years old)

1966

Got married (28 years old), and later had one daughter and two sons

May-June 1982

While talking with a business associate who had failed payments and broke a promise, his patience wore out, and the two got into a bitter argument. As the other party not only betrayed and insulted him, but also began to hit him, he fought back, leading to the other party's death (the death was accidental and he had no intent to kill.) (43 years old)
Pushed by the strong feeling that he shouldn't trouble people connected to the company, relatives and family members, he tried to persuade a director from the company owned by the other man to cover up the incident (using the fact that this drector was involved in embezzlement) and offered money. However, the director mistakenly believed that Yamano has come to kill him, and attacked him with a bat. A struggle ensued. Yamano was able to take the bat away from the man, but the other man tried to attack him with a stick. Yamano swung the bat to try to knock the stick out of the other man's hands, but it struck him in the head, killing him. (Yamano was acting in self-defense against the other man's attack, and had no intent to kill.)

Based on the arbitrary judgment and interrogation using torture of the Osaka Prefectural Police, he was arrested and indicted on charges of burglary and murder, in a frame-up (that he stole checks and cash). (43 years old.) He had no previous criminal record.

July 1985

He was given a death sentence by Chief Judge Yoshikane Ikeda of Osaka District Court, who gave weight to the Investigation Deposition. (46 years old)

October 1989

Chief Judge Kiyoharu Nishimura of the Osaka High Court dismissed his appeal without resolving any of the problematic points of the initial trial. (50 years old)

May 1994

He was baptized as a Catholic, and given the Christian name Joseph.

October 1996

His appeal to the Supreme Court was turned down.

November 1996

His death sentence was finalized. (58 years old)

December 1997

Changed his Christian name to Joseph Maria Kolbe.

November 1999

Two books authored by Yamano: Shikeishu no inori (The Prayers of a Death Row Inmate) and Shikeishu no sakebi (The Cries of a Death Row Inmate) were published by Seibo-no-Kishi-sha, a publishing company in Nagasaki.

October 2001

He applied for a retrial to the Osaka District Court.

Present

He is cut off from all contact other than family members and his lawyers. (However, he can be contacted through the secretariat of the Association.)