Akito Shima (real name Satoru Nakamura, 1934-1967) was a Japanese man executed for committing robbery and murder in Niigata Prefecture. Born into hardship, marked by his father's post-war purge, his mother's death from illness and malnutrition, and his own chronic health problems including tuberculosis and Pott's disease, Shima had a difficult youth involving poor academic performance and juvenile delinquency.

His early adulthood included time in a reformatory, further imprisonment for arson (committed seemingly to gain shelter), and a diagnosis of "hysterical personality disorder" followed by psychiatric hospitalization. In 1959, while homeless and starving, he broke into a farmhouse. When discovered, he tied up the family of four, stole money and goods, seriously injured the husband, and murdered the wife.

Sentenced to death in 1960, his appeals were rejected, and the sentence was confirmed in 1962. During his seven years on death row leading up to his execution in 1967, Shima became a noted tanka poet, writing prolifically about his experiences and even winning the prestigious Mainichi Kadan Award in 1963. He remains known for this stark contrast between his violent crime and his later artistic expression.

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