Takahiro Shiraishi, also known as the “Twitter killer,” was executed in Japan for the murder of nine people in his apartment near Tokyo. Shiraishi was convicted in 2020 for the killings that took place in 2017. Most of his victims had posted suicidal thoughts on social media, and he was also found guilty of sexually abusing female victims.
The case shocked Japanese society when police discovered the bodies of eight teenage girls and women, as well as one man, in cold-storage cases in Shiraishi’s apartment. Investigators revealed that Shiraishi approached his victims through Twitter, offering to help them with their suicidal wishes. Tragically, he raped and killed three teenage girls and five women, as well as the boyfriend of one of the women to silence him.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki confirmed the execution, stating that the case had caused significant shock and unease in society. Despite calls to abolish capital punishment or increase transparency in Japan, Suzuki emphasized that a majority of the public still supports the death penalty. He justified the need for the execution, citing concerns about serious crime.
Shiraishi was hanged at the Tokyo Detention House in secrecy, following Japan’s practice of carrying out executions discreetly. The country currently has 105 people on death row, with some seeking retrials. Japan and the US are the only two countries in the Group of Seven that retain capital punishment.
In July 2022, Japan executed a man who had killed seven people in a vehicle crash and stabbing rampage in Akihabara, a crowded Tokyo shopping district, in 2018. Despite its relatively low crime rate, Japan has experienced some high-profile mass killings in recent years.
The execution of Takahiro Shiraishi serves as a reminder of the dark and unsettling crimes that can occur within society. As Japan grapples with the aftermath of such heinous acts, the debate over the use of capital punishment continues, highlighting the complex and challenging issues surrounding justice and crime prevention.
