In a chilling culmination of one of Japan’s most horrifying modern crimes, Takahiro Shiraishi—dubbed the “Twitter Killer”—was executed by hanging on Friday, marking the country’s first use of capital punishment in nearly three years.
Shiraishi, 33, was convicted of murdering and dismembering nine individuals—eight women and one man—whom he lured via social media platform Twitter (now X) in 2017. His victims were predominantly vulnerable individuals grappling with suicidal thoughts, whom he deceived by posing as a sympathetic confidant offering assistance in their deaths. Instead, he took their lives in a macabre spree that stunned Japan and drew international outrage.
Operating out of a modest apartment in Zama city, Kanagawa Prefecture, just southwest of Tokyo, Shiraishi carried out the killings and stored body parts in coolers, reportedly sealing them with cat litter to mask the odor. The apartment, later described by investigators as a “house of horrors,” revealed the unimaginable extent of his crimes.
Japan’s Minister of Justice, Keisuke Suzuki, who authorised the execution, said the decision followed careful legal deliberation. “The convict committed extremely selfish and heinous crimes that caused great shock and unrest to society,” Suzuki told reporters. “It was a painful decision, but one that reflects the gravity of the offences.”
Shiraishi admitted to all nine murders during his trial, chillingly stating that he had no remorse and that he “killed to satisfy sexual desires.” He was sentenced to death in 2020, with the court rejecting his defense team’s claim of diminished mental responsibility.
The execution is the first carried out under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s administration, which assumed office in October 2024. It is also the first state killing since July 2022, when another high-profile convict, responsible for a 2008 Tokyo stabbing rampage, was hanged.
Japan is one of only two G7 nations—alongside the United States—that still retains the death penalty. Executions are conducted by hanging, often with no prior notice to inmates. Prisoners are usually informed just hours before the execution, a practice that has drawn harsh criticism from international human rights organisations, who argue it inflicts prolonged psychological torment.
Despite global scrutiny, capital punishment remains popular among Japanese citizens. A 2024 government survey of 1,800 people revealed that 83% viewed the death penalty as “unavoidable,” especially for heinous crimes such as those committed by Shiraishi.
However, the Japanese justice system has also been marred by allegations of wrongful convictions. In September 2024, Iwao Hakamada—who had languished on death row for more than 50 years—was acquitted after a court ruled he had been falsely convicted of a 1966 quadruple murder. His case is widely regarded as one of the most shameful judicial errors in Japan’s modern legal history.
Friday’s execution revives haunting memories of past high-profile executions, including that of Shoko Asahara and 12 other members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult, hanged in 2018 for the infamous 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway that killed 14 and injured thousands.
Takahiro Shiraishi’s death closes a grim chapter in Japanese criminal history—but it leaves behind unsettling questions about the intersection of technology, mental health, and justice in an increasingly connected world.
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