A man convicted of the heinous crime of murdering and dismembering nine individuals he met online has been executed in Japan. This marks the nation’s first implementation of the death penalty since 2022.
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Takahiro Shiraishi, aged 34, faced execution for the tragic deaths of his young victims, the majority of whom were women, whom he connected with on the social media platform now known as X. Dubbed the “Twitter Killer,” Shiraishi specifically targeted users who expressed suicidal thoughts, offering to assist in their plans or indicating his willingness to die alongside them.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki characterized Shiraishi’s crimes—committed in 2017—as involving “robbery, rape, murder… destruction of a corpse, and abandonment of a corpse.” With heavy deliberation, he stated,
“After much careful consideration, I ordered the execution.”
It’s important to note that Japan and the United States remain the only two G7 nations that still impose capital punishment, with significant support for the practice prevailing among the Japanese populace. Shiraishi received his death sentence in 2020, held responsible for the murders of nine victims aged between 15 and 26.
After luring his victims to his small residence near Tokyo, Shiraishi took measures to conceal the evidence by hiding body parts in coolers and toolboxes, even sprinkled with cat litter. His legal team argued for a prison sentence instead of execution, claiming that his victims had expressed suicidal tendencies and thus consented to their demise. However, the judge swiftly dismissed this defense, labeling Shiraishi’s actions as
“cunning and cruel.”
The court noted that
“the dignity of the victims was trampled upon,”
emphasizing that he had preyed on individuals who were notably “mentally fragile.”
The gruesome nature of these crimes came to light in autumn 2017 while police were investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had tweeted about her suicidal thoughts. Her brother managed to access her Twitter account and ultimately led law enforcement to Shiraishi’s home, where they discovered the dismembered remains of nine individuals.
Currently, Japan has approximately 100 prisoners on death row, with nearly half seeking retrials, as noted by Minister Suzuki. According to Japanese regulations, executions must occur within six months following a verified verdict once all appeals are exhausted. However, reality paints a different picture, as many inmates endure solitary confinement for extended periods—often spanning years or even decades.
The system has faced considerable criticism, particularly surrounding the government’s transparency regarding the death penalty. In 2022, Tomohiro Kato was executed for a rampage that resulted in seven fatalities in 2008, where he drove a rented truck into a crowd before continuing with a stabbing spree in Tokyo’s Akihabara district. The infamous executions of Shoko Asahara and 12 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult occurred in 2018, marking the culmination of a case that involved the devastating sarin gas attacks on Tokyo’s subway, which claimed 14 lives and sickened thousands.
As Japan continues to grapple with these complex issues, the conversation about justice, rehabilitation, and the death penalty remains ever-relevant.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
