Japan Executes Notorious 'Twitter Killer' for Murdering and Dismembering Nine Victims in Apartment

Jun 27 2025

On Friday, Japan's Justice Ministry confirmed the execution of Takahiro Shiraishi, a man infamous for murdering and dismembering nine people in his Tokyo apartment.

Shiraishi, dubbed the “Twitter killer,” received a death sentence in 2020 for the brutal killings that occurred in 2017. His victims, primarily individuals who had expressed suicidal thoughts online, included eight teenage girls and women, as well as one man. In addition to murder, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting several female victims.

Authorities apprehended Shiraishi after discovering the dismembered bodies stored in cold-storage cases within his residence. Investigators revealed that he lured victims through Twitter, offering assistance with their suicidal intentions before committing heinous acts against them.

Among his victims was the boyfriend of one woman, whom Shiraishi murdered to prevent him from speaking out.

Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki addressed the media following the execution, stating, “The case caused extremely serious outcomes and dealt a major shockwave and unease to society.” He signed the execution order earlier in the week but did not attend the hanging.

The execution comes amid rising debates over capital punishment in Japan, particularly after the acquittal of Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, last year. Suzuki emphasized that public support for capital punishment remains strong despite growing opposition.

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“I believe it is not appropriate to abolish execution,” he asserted, citing increasing concerns about serious crime rates.

Shiraishi was executed at the Tokyo Detention House under strict secrecy, with no prior notice given to him or the public until after the execution was completed.

Currently, Japan has 105 individuals on death row, including 49 who are seeking retrials. The country maintains a policy of executing prisoners without informing them of their fate until the day of their execution.

Since 2007, Japan has begun to release names and some details about executed individuals, although information remains limited. Alongside the United States, Japan is one of only two countries in the Group of Seven industrialized nations that still enforces capital punishment.

The last execution prior to Shiraishi's took place in July 2022, involving a man responsible for a deadly vehicle crash and stabbing spree in Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district in 2018.

While Japan's overall crime rate is relatively low, it has experienced several high-profile mass killings in recent years.

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