Japan executes 'Twitter killer' for 2017 serial murders
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Japan has executed Takahiro Shiraishi, the so-called "Twitter Killer," for the 2017 murders of nine people he lured online, reigniting debate over the country's continued use of capital punishment amid strong public support and international criticism.
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27-year old Takahiro Shiraishi was arrested in October of 2017 after police found nine dismembered bodies in his apartment in Tokyo. (Agencies)
Japan carried out its first execution since 2022 on Friday, hanging Takahiro Shiraishi, a man widely referred to as the "Twitter Killer," for the 2017 murders of nine individuals he lured through social media.
Shiraishi, 34, had used the platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to identify and contact people expressing suicidal thoughts, offering to help them end their lives, or die alongside them.
According to Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki, Shiraishi's acts involved "robbery, rape, murder... destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse." He added, "Nine victims were beaten and strangled, killed, robbed, and then mutilated with parts of their bodies concealed in boxes, and parts discarded in a garbage dump."
"Shiraishi acted for the genuinely selfish reason of satisfying his own sexual and financial desires," Suzuki stated. "The murders caused great shock and anxiety to society. After much careful consideration, I ordered the execution."
The killings took place between August and October 2017. Shiraishi preyed on mentally vulnerable individuals, mostly young women, aged 15 to 26. The crimes came to light when police investigated the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman whose brother accessed her X account and traced her interactions to Shiraishi.
On October 31, officers found nine dismembered bodies hidden in coolers and toolboxes filled with cat litter in his apartment in Zama, near Tokyo.
Execution debate
During his 2020 trial, Shiraishi admitted to the murders. His legal team argued for a lesser sentence, claiming the victims had consented due to suicidal intent. The court rejected this, ruling that none had actually consented and branding the crimes as "cunning and cruel."
The presiding judge declared, "The dignity of the victims was trampled upon," and stressed that Shiraishi had deliberately targeted people who were "mentally fragile."
The execution has reignited debate over Japan's use of capital punishment. Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries that continue to impose the death penalty. In Japan, executions are carried out by hanging, usually with little advance notice to the inmate.
Though Japanese law requires execution within six months after the final ruling, many death row prisoners remain in solitary confinement for years or even decades. Suzuki said on Friday that around half of Japan's approximately 100 death row inmates are currently seeking retrials.
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Public opinion, however, strongly favors the death penalty. A 2024 Cabinet Office survey showed that 83% of respondents support its continued use.
This execution follows other high-profile cases in recent years. In 2022, Tomohiro Kato was hanged for a 2008 mass killing in Tokyo's Akihabara district, where he drove a truck into a crowd and then went on a stabbing spree, killing seven. In 2018, Shoko Asahara and 12 other members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult were executed for orchestrating the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, which killed 14 and injured thousands.
