Japan executes ‘Twitter killer’ who murdered and dismembered nine people
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Japan executes convicted ‘Twitter killer’ who killed and dismembered nine
Takahiro Shiraishi, the so-called “Twitter Killer”, was sentenced to death in 2020. He was convicted of murdering and dismembering nine people in his apartment near Tokyo. Most of his victims had expressed suicidal thoughs on Twitter. The killings shocked the country and prompted a nation-wide debate on how suicide is discussed on social media platforms. The execution was carried out in secrecy and not disclosed until after it was completed. It is the first time since 2022 that Japan has enacted capital punishment.
Japan has executed a man convicted of murdering and dismembering nine people in his apartment near Tokyo, the country’s Justice Ministry announced.
Takahiro Shiraishi, the so-called “Twitter Killer”, was sentenced to death in 2020 for murdering nine individuals, most of whom had expressed suicidal thoughs on Twitter.
The killings shocked the country and prompted a nation-wide debate on how suicide is discussed on social media platforms.
Investigators say that Shiraishi used Twitter to contact his victims — most of them young women between the ages of 15 and 26 — offering to help them carry out their sucidal wishes.
He was arrested in October 2017, after police discovered the bodies of eight teenage girls and one woman, along with one man, inside cold-storage containers in his apartment.
“This case caused devastating harm and sent shockwaves through society, instilling deep fear and unease,” Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said at an emergency press conference.
He confirmed that he signed the execution order earlier this week but did not witness Shiraishi’s hanging.
The execution — which is the first time since 2022 that Japan has enacted capital punishment — comes amid gorwing debate in Japan over the future of the death penalty ignited by the acquittal last year of Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest-serving death row inmate.
Suzuki defended the use of the death penalty, citing a recent government survey showing strong public support for executions — although opposition has increased slightly.
“I do not believe abolishing capital punishment is appropriate,” Suzuki said, adding that concerns over serious crimes persist.
Shiraishi was executed by hanging at the Tokyo Detention House. As is standard practice in Japan, the execution was carried out in secrecy and not disclosed until after it was completed.
According to Suzuki, Japan currently has 105 inmates on death row, including 49 seeking retrials.
Executions in Japan are conducted in secrecy, with inmates only informed of their fate on the morning of their execution. Since 2007, Japan has begun releasing the names of those executed and some details of their crimes, although disclosure remains limited.
Japan and the United States are the only members of the Group of Seven industrialised nations that retain the death penalty.
Japan’s most recent execution occurred in July 2022, when a man convicted of killing seven people during a vehicle and stabbing rampage in Tokyo’s busy Akihabara district in 2018 was put to death.
‘Twitter killer’ who murdered nine is executed in Japan
Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was executed for killing his young victims, all but one of whom were women. He had targeted users who posted about taking their own lives, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them. He lured them to his small home near the capital, hid parts of their bodies around the apartment in coolers and toolboxes sprinkled with cat litter. His lawyers had argued he should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed because his victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and so had consented to die. Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries to still use capital punishment.
Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was executed for killing his young victims, all but one of whom were women, after contacting them on the social media platform now called X.
Dubbed the ‘Twitter Killer’ he had targeted users who posted about taking their own lives, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Shiraishi’s crimes, carried out in 2017, included “robbery, rape, murder… destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse”.
Shiraishi acted “for the genuinely selfish reason of satisfying his own sexual and financial desires” and the murders “caused great shock and anxiety to society”, Mr Suzuki said.
“After much careful consideration, I ordered the execution.”
Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries to still use capital punishment, and there is overwhelming support for the practice among the Japanese public.
Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murders of his nine victims, aged between 15 and 26.
After luring them to his small home near the capital, he hid parts of their bodies around the apartment in coolers and toolboxes sprinkled with cat litter in a bid to hide the evidence.
His lawyers had argued Shiraishi should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed because his victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and so had consented to die.
But a judge dismissed that argument, calling Shiraishi’s crimes “cunning and cruel”, according to reports at the time.
The dignity of the victims was trampled upon,” the judge had said, adding that Shiraishi had preyed upon people who were “mentally fragile”.
The murders were discovered in autumn 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly tweeted about wanting to take her own life.
Her brother gained access to her Twitter account and eventually led police to Shiraishi’s residence, where investigators found the nine dismembered bodies.
There are 100 prisoners on death row in Japan.
Nearly half are seeking a retrial, Mr Suzuki said.
Japanese law stipulates that executions must be carried out within six months of a verdict after appeals are exhausted.
In reality, however, most inmates are left in solitary confinement for years, and sometimes decades.
There is widespread criticism of the system and the government’s lack of transparency over the practice.
In 2022, Tomohiro Kato was executed for an attack that killed seven people in 2008, when he rammed a rented two-tonne truck into a crowd in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, before getting out and going on a stabbing spree.
The high-profile executions of the guru Shoko Asahara and 12 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult took place in 2018.
Aum Shinrikyo orchestrated the 1995 sarin gas attacks on Tokyo’s subway system, killing 14 people and sickening thousands more.
‘Twitter killer’ who murdered nine hanged in Japan’s first execution since 2022
Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was hanged for killing his victims, aged between 15 and 26. He targeted users who posted about taking their own lives, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them. He was sentenced to death in 2020 for strangling and dismembering nine people in his apartment in Zama city, about 60 kilometres from Tokyo. The grisly murders were discovered in 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a missing woman who reportedly tweeted about killing herself. Japanese law requires executions to be carried out within six months of a verdict after appeals are exhausted, but most inmates are left waiting in solitary confinement for years. Nearly half of the approximately 100 prisoners on death row are seeking a retrial, according to Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki. The last execution, carried out in 2022, was of a man who went on a stabbing rampage in Tokyo’s shopping district Akihabara.
Japan has executed a man who killed nine people after contacting them on social media, the first use of capital punishment in the country in nearly three years.
Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was hanged for killing his victims, aged between 15 and 26, after contacting them on the social media platform now called X.
All but one victim were women.
Shiraishi stashed body parts around his apartment in coolers and toolboxes sprinkled with cat litter. (AFP: Masanobu Nakatsukasa (Yomiuri Shimbun))
He was sentenced to death in 2020 for strangling and dismembering nine people in his apartment in Zama city, about 60 kilometres from Tokyo.
Shiraishi targeted users who posted about taking their own lives, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki, who ordered Shiraishi’s execution, said his crimes included “robbery, rape, murder … destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse”.
“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,” Mr Suzuki said.
He said Shiraishi acted “for the genuinely selfish reason of satisfying his own sexual and financial desires” and the murders “caused great shock and anxiety to society”.
After luring them to his small home near the capital, he stashed parts of their bodies around the apartment in coolers and toolboxes sprinkled with cat litter in a bid to hide the evidence.
His lawyers argued Shiraishi should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed because his victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and so had consented to die.
Police prepare to search Shiraichi’s apartment in Zama city in Kanagawa prefecture, south-west of Tokyo. (AFP: Jiji Press)
But a judge dismissed that argument, calling Shiraishi’s crimes “cunning and cruel” and saying he preyed upon people who were “mentally fragile”, according to reports at the time.
The grisly murders were discovered in 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly tweeted about wanting to kill herself.
Her brother gained access to her Twitter account and eventually led police to Shiraishi’s residence, where investigators found the nine dismembered bodies.
Locals support capital punishment
Executions are always done by hanging in Japan, and nearly half of the approximately 100 prisoners on death row are seeking a retrial, according to Mr Suzuki.
Japanese law requires executions to be carried out within six months of a verdict after appeals are exhausted, but most inmates are left waiting in solitary confinement for years, sometimes decades.
In September last year, a Japanese court acquitted Iwao Hakamada, who had spent the world’s longest time on death row after a wrongful conviction for crimes committed nearly 60 years ago.
The murders were discovered in 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a missing woman who reportedly tweeted about killing herself. (AFP: Yomiuri Shimbun/Yoichi Hiyashi)
There is widespread criticism of the system and the government’s lack of transparency over the practice.
Prisoners in Japan are notified of their execution hours before it is carried out, which has long been decried by human rights groups for the stress it puts on death-row prisoners.
Despite this, there is strong support for capital punishment among the Japanese public.
The last execution, carried out in 2022, was of a man who went on a stabbing rampage in Tokyo’s shopping district Akihabara in 2008.
“It is not appropriate to abolish the death penalty while these violent crimes are still being committed,” Mr Suzuki said.
AFP/Reuters
Takahiro Shiraishi: Japan executes ‘Twitter killer’ who murdered and dismembered nine people
Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was hanged Friday at the Tokyo Detention House. He was sentenced to death in 2020 after pleading guilty to killing the nine people – eight women and one man. The victims had posted online that they wanted to kill themselves, and were subsequently contacted by Sh Kiraishi through social media platforms. The high-profile mass murder case had gripped the nation for years and raised concerns over the use of social media.. The death penalty is delivered by hanging, with execution dates not made public until after the penalty is carried out. Executions are shrouded in secrecy with little to no warning, and families and lawyers are usually notified only after the execution has taken place.“This case, driven by selfish motives, resulted in the deaths of nine individuals over two months – a deeply serious incident that has caused shock and anxiety across society,” Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki says.
Japan has executed a man dubbed the “Twitter killer,” who was convicted of murdering and dismembering nine people, mostly women, in the country’s first use of capital punishment in nearly three years.
Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was hanged Friday at the Tokyo Detention House. He was sentenced to death in 2020 after pleading guilty to killing the nine people – eight women and one man.
Shiraishi was arrested in October 2017 after police searched his home in the city of Zama in Kanagawa prefecture, on the outskirts of Tokyo, to investigate the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had expressed suicidal thoughts on social media, including Twitter, now known as X.
Three cooler boxes and five containers were found in Shiraishi’s room, containing human heads and bones with the flesh scraped off, CNN affiliate TV Asahi reported at the time, citing police sources.
The high-profile mass murder case had gripped the nation for years and raised concerns over the use of social media.
The nine victims were aged between 15 and 26, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK and TV Asahi, which both cited court proceedings. The victims had posted online that they wanted to kill themselves, and were subsequently contacted by Shiraishi through social media platforms, NHK and TV Asahi reported.
Using a handle which loosely translates as “hangman,” Shiraishi invited them to his apartment in Zama, promising to help them die, the Jiji news agency reported, citing the indictment.
Shiraishi pleaded guilty to murdering the victims, saying in court that he had killed them to satisfy his own sexual desires, NHK and TV Asahi reported.
He was found guilty in December 2020 of murdering, raping and dismembering the nine victims, and storing their bodies in his apartment.
Shiraishi’s lawyer appealed the ruling to the Tokyo High Court, but he later withdrew the appeal and the sentence was finalized, NHK reported.
“This case, driven by selfish motives such as sexual and financial gratification, resulted in the deaths of nine individuals over two months – a deeply serious incident that has caused shock and anxiety across society. I understand it is an especially heartbreaking case for both the victims and their families,” Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki told reporters Friday at a press conference.
Following news of the execution, the father of one of Shiraishi’s victims told NHK that he’d rather have seen him “spend his life reflecting on the crimes he committed, than simply losing it through death penalty.”
Shiraishi’s execution is the first the country has seen since July 2022, NHK reported.
In Japan, the death penalty is delivered by hanging, with execution dates not made public until after the penalty is carried out. Executions are shrouded in secrecy with little to no warning, and families and lawyers are usually notified only after the execution has taken place.
“The death sentence was finalized following a thorough trial process. After careful and deliberate consideration of all factors, I issued the execution order,” Suzuki said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Editor’s Note: Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters.
In the US: Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.
Japan Hangs ‘Twitter Killer’ Who Killed Nine People ‘For His Own Desires’
Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was executed for the murder and butchering of nine people he met online. He had targeted users who posted about taking their own lives, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them. The grisly murders came to light in autumn 2017 when police, investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly tweeted about wanting to kill herself, traced her online activity. All but one of the victims were young women, aged between 15 and 26. Japan and the United States are the only G7 countries that continue to use capital punishment, with strong public support for the practice.
Shiraishi, 34, the “Twitter Killer” was hanged for killing his young victims, all but one of whom were women, after contacting them on the social media platform now called X. He had targeted users who posted about taking their own lives, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Shiraishi’s crimes, carried out in 2017, included “robbery, rape, murder… destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse.”
“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,” Suzuki told reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
Shiraishi (Twitter Killer) acted “for the genuinely selfish reason of satisfying his own sexual and financial desires” and the murders “caused great shock and anxiety to society,” Suzuki said. “After much careful consideration, I ordered the execution.”
Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murders of nine victims aged between 15 and 26. After luring them to his small apartment near Tokyo, he stashed parts of their bodies in coolers and toolboxes, sprinkling cat litter over them in an attempt to mask the smell and hide the evidence.
His lawyers argued that Shiraishi (Twitter Killer) should receive a prison sentence rather than execution, claiming the victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and had consented to die. However, the court dismissed this argument, calling Shiraishi’s crimes “cunning and cruel,” according to reports at the time.
“The dignity of the victims was trampled upon,” the judge said during sentencing, adding that Shiraishi had preyed upon people who were “mentally fragile.”
The grisly murders came to light in autumn 2017 when police, investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly tweeted about wanting to kill herself, traced her online activity. Her brother gained access to her Twitter account, eventually leading police to Shiraishi’s residence, where investigators found the nine dismembered bodies.
Executions in Japan are carried out by hanging, and around 100 death row prisoners are currently awaiting execution, nearly half of whom are seeking retrials, Suzuki said. Although Japanese law requires executions within six months of final sentencing, inmates often remain in solitary confinement for years or decades.
Japan and the United States are the only G7 countries that continue to use capital punishment, with strong public support for the practice in Japan despite criticism over the system’s secrecy.
In 2022, Japan executed Tomohiro Kato for a 2008 attack in Tokyo’s Akihabara district that killed seven people when he drove a rented truck into a crowd before going on a stabbing spree. “I came to Akihabara to kill people. It didn’t matter who I’d kill,” Kato told police at the time.