Japan hangs ‘Twitter killer’ in first execution since 2022
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Pritam Singh says he’s not aiming to be Singapore’s next prime minister; Singapore construction family of 4 charged with bribery: Singapore live news
WP chief Pritam Singh said he’s not aiming to be Singapore’s next prime minister. In an episode of popular Malaysian political podcast Keluar Sekejap, Singh said his role was to “normalise the idea of an opposition” The podcast is hosted by former Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan, previously UMNO’s information chief.
Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh may be a formidable opposition leader, but his sights aren’t set on becoming Singapore’s next prime minister. In an episode of popular Malaysian political podcast Keluar Sekejap that was uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday (24 June), Singh said his role was to “normalise the idea of an opposition”.
The podcast is hosted by former Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan, previously UMNO’s information chief.
Khairy referenced a previous conversation he had with Singh where he had expressed the same sentiment that he didn’t see himself as an “alternative prime minister”, and questioned if there was a “lack of ambition”.
“I have to have a good finger on the pulse of Singaporeans, I’ve got to understand what they want. And I’ve got to understand how they respond to language which reflects ambition,” replied Singh.
“If that language is not in sync with their broad understanding of what they want out of politics in Singapore, then ambition can be a death knell for any politician in Singapore.”
Singh in 2019 established that the party’s medium-term objective was to contest and win one-third of the seats in parliament.
He added, “If we accept that Singaporeans are pragmatic, and that there’s no demand for a change of government, then going out there flying a flag which says ‘I am your prime minister in waiting’ is probably, with respect, an act of foolishness.”
For more on Pritam Singh’s interview, read here.
Country enduring an ‘undeclared emergency’, says CPI-ML leader
CPI-ML (New Democracy) official representative P. Prasad alleged that an ‘undeclared emergency’ is being implemented in India now. He alleged that Adivasis, Dalits and Muslims were being depicted as enemies of the nation and the people were being misled.
Participating in a seminar against ‘Fascism’, organised by the CPI-ML (ND) Area Committee of Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts, at the Visakhapatnam Public Library on Thursday, Mr. Prasad alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions were being controlled by corporate groups.
He alleged that Adivasis, Dalits and Muslims were being depicted as enemies of the nation and the people were being misled. He recalled during the Emergency 50 years ago, 1.70 lakh people were arrested and 19,000 were jailed.
Human Rights Forum (HRF) State coordinator V.S. Krishna alleged that the Modi government had dumped the Constitution after assuming power.
Japan executes by hanging ‘Twitter killer’ who murdered 9
Takahiro Shiraishi was hanged for the 2017 murders of eight women and one man in his apartment in Zama city in Kanagawa near Tokyo. He was dubbed the “Twitter killer’ as he had contacted his victims via the social media platform, now known as X. The execution on Friday was the first in Japan since July 2022 of a man sentenced to death for a stabbing rampage in Tokyo’s Akihabara shopping district in 2008. It was also the first time the death penalty was carried out since Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government was inaugurated last October.
Japan has executed a man who was found guilty of killing and dismembering nine people he made contact with on social media, the first use of capital punishment in the country in nearly three years.
Takahiro Shiraishi was hanged on Friday after he was sentenced to death for the 2017 murders of eight women and one man in his apartment in Zama city in Kanagawa near Tokyo.
He was dubbed the “Twitter killer” as he had contacted his victims via the social media platform, now known as X.
Shiraishi admitted to committing the murders after reaching out and offering to help people – who were contemplating suicide – to die. He had stashed bits of the bodies of his nine victims in coolers around his small apartment, according to media reports.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki, who authorised Shiraishi’s hanging, said he made the decision after careful examination of the case, taking into account the convict’s “extremely selfish” motive for crimes that “caused great shock and unrest to society”.
The execution on Friday was the first in Japan since July 2022 of a man sentenced to death for a stabbing rampage in Tokyo’s Akihabara shopping district in 2008.
It was also the first time the death penalty was carried out since Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government was inaugurated last October.
Last September, a Japanese court acquitted Iwao Hakamada, who had spent the world’s longest time on death row. The court found he was wrongfully convicted of crimes committed nearly 60 years ago.
One of the highest-profile executions in Japan was carried out in 2018 of the guru Shoko Asahara and 12 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult, which orchestrated the 1995 sarin gas attacks on Tokyo’s subway system that killed 14 people and made thousands ill.
Capital punishment is carried out by hanging in Japan, and prisoners are notified of their execution just hours before it is carried out, which has long been decried by human rights groups for the stress it puts on death-row prisoners.
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Japan and the United States are the only two members of the Group of Seven industrialised economies to retain the death penalty.
There is strong public support for the practice in Japan. A government survey in 2024 of 1,800 respondents found that 83 percent viewed the death penalty as “unavoidable”.
Rajnath Singh reaffirms India’s stand on cross-border terrorism to Chinese counterpart, stresses avoiding new complexities in ties
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh firmly conveyed India’s stance on cross-border terrorism to Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Don Jun. The bilateral meeting was held on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China. Mr. Singh also underscored that neighbouring countries must take note of this unwavering commitment, and urged China to avoid adding new complexities.
He emphasized that Operation Sindoor will continue, reaffirming India’s resolve to defend itself against any cross-border terror activities. Mr. Singh also underscored that neighbouring countries must take note of this unwavering commitment, and urged China to avoid adding new complexities.
Mr. Singh posted on X,”Held talks with Admiral Don Jun, the Defence Minister of China, on the sidelines of SCO Defence Minitsers’ Meeting in Qingdao. We had a constructive and forward looking exchange of views on issues pertaining to bilateral relations.
Expressed my happiness on restarting of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after a gap of nearly six years. It is incumbent on both the sides to maintain this positive momentum and avoid adding new complexities in the bilateral relationship.”
Held talks with Admiral Don Jun, the Defence Minister of China, on the sidelines of SCO Defence Minitsers’ Meeting in Qingdao. We had a constructive and forward looking exchange of views on issues pertaining to bilateral relations.
Expressed my happiness on restarting of the… pic.twitter.com/dHj1OuHKzE — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 27, 2025
In the meeting, a discussion was also held on de-escalation, disengagement, demarcation and Special Representatives (SR) level talks.
Maintaining peace along the borders and enhancing international relations should remain focus of both sides.
In 2020, relations between India and China took a serious hit following the eastern Ladakh military standoff and the deadly Galwan Valley clash.
Japan Executes ‘Twitter Killer’ In First Hanging Since 2022
Takahiro Shiraishi had been sentenced to death for his 2017 strangling and dismembering of eight women and one man. He was dubbed the ‘Twitter killer’ as he contacted victims via the social media platform, which is now known as X. It was also the first time a death penalty was carried out since Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government was inaugurated last October. Japan and the United States are the only two members of the Group of Seven industrialised economies to retain the death penalty.
Japan on Friday carried out its first execution in nearly three years, hanging a man who had murdered nine people after contacting them through social media.
Takahiro Shiraishi had been sentenced to death for his 2017 strangling and dismembering of eight women and one man in his apartment in Zama city in Kanagawa near Tokyo. He was dubbed the “Twitter killer” as he contacted victims via the social media platform, which is now known as X.
‘Extremely Selfish’
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki, who authorised Shiraishi’s hanging, said he made the decision after careful examination, taking into account the convict’s “extremely selfish” motive for crimes that “caused great shock and unrest to society”.
This comes after the July 2022 execution of Tomohiro Kato, who had driven a rented two-tonne truck into a crowd in Tokyo’s Akihabara district and then went on a stabbing spree, killing seven people.
It was also the first time a death penalty was carried out since Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government was inaugurated last October.
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.
Old Ways
Capital punishment is carried out by hanging in Japan and prisoners 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.
Japan and the United States are the only two members of the Group of Seven industrialised economies to retain the death penalty.
“It is not appropriate to abolish the death penalty while these violent crimes are still being committed,” Suzuki told a press conference. There are currently 105 death row inmates in Japan, he added.
There is strong public backing for capital punishment in Japan, with a 2024 government survey of 1,800 respondents showing that 83% viewed the death penalty as “unavoidable”.
(With inputs from Reuters)