Japan Executes 'Twitter Killer' Takahiro Shiraishi, First Capital Punishment Since 2022

TOKYO – Japan has carried out its first execution since 2022, hanging Takahiro Shiraishi, infamously known as the ‘Twitter Killer’. Shiraishi was convicted for the murders and dismemberment of nine people, predominantly young women, in 2017. The victims, who had posted suicidal thoughts on Twitter, were lured to Shiraishi’s apartment. He reportedly told them he could assist them in dying, in some cases even claiming he would commit suicide alongside them. The execution marks a significant event in Japan's justice system, which maintains capital punishment. Currently, 105 individuals remain on death row in Japan. A notable aspect of the country's system is that prisoners are not informed of their execution until the very morning it is scheduled to take place.