'Twitter Killer' Takahiro Shiraishi Executed by Hanging in Japan

Japan has carried out the execution of Takahiro Shiraishi, infamously known as the “Twitter Killer,” for the 2017 murders of nine individuals. According to NHK, the death sentence was carried out on the morning of June 27 at the Tokyo Detention Center, marking the country’s first execution since 2022.

Shiraishi, 33, was convicted of luring his victims—eight women and one man aged between 15 and 26—through Twitter, where they had posted suicidal thoughts. He would offer to assist them in dying, only to strangle them in his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Some victims were sexually assaulted, and all were dismembered, with body parts stored in refrigerators.

Japan’s Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki confirmed at a press conference that he signed the execution order on June 23 after a thorough review.

“The death sentence was finalized through careful judicial proceedings. Given the facts, we carried out the execution after serious deliberation,” Suzuki said.

He also noted that the case had deeply shocked Japanese society and referenced strong public support for capital punishment in most heinous crimes.

The death sentence for Shiraishi was finalized in 2021 after he withdrew his appeal. Though his defense argued the killings were “consensual,” the court rejected this claim, as did Shiraishi himself, stating his motives were financial and sexual. The court also ruled out insanity as a defense, labeling the crimes “unprecedented in cruelty.”

As of now, 105 inmates remain on death row in Japan, with 49 awaiting retrials, according to the Ministry of Justice.