Latest news with #Shiraishi
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Japan executes ‘Twitter Killer' who lured and dismembered nine suicidal victims in Zama ‘house of horrors'
Japan executed Takahiro Shiraishi, infamously known as the 'Twitter killer'. He murdered nine individuals in 2017. Shiraishi lured victims through social media, exploiting their suicidal thoughts. He was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to death. The execution occurred at Tokyo Detention House. This event has reignited debates about capital punishment in Japan. Critics highlight the need for mental health support. Takahiro Shiraishi, 35, used social media to target vulnerable people struggling with suicidal thoughts, then killed and dismembered them in his Tokyo-area apartment Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Who is Takahiro Shiraishi? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Japan carried out its first execution in nearly three years, hanging Takahiro Shiraishi , infamously known as the 'Twitter killer.' He was convicted in 2020 for luring nine vulnerable individuals, eight women and one man, into his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, between August and October 2017, via social media , then raping, strangling, dismembering them, and storing their remains in coolers and then 26, preyed upon people expressing suicidal thoughts online. Using five Twitter accounts, including one with the handle roughly translated as 'hangman,' he messaged victims that he would 'help them die,' and in some cases, kill himself alongside them. His apartment, later dubbed a 'house of horrors,' had body parts in coolers sprinkled with cat litter in an apparent attempt to conceal the first police breakthrough came when a 23-year-old woman's brother accessed her Twitter and traced messages back to Shiraishi's temperamental outreach. Upon searching his apartment on October 31, 2017, detectives discovered the grim makeshift his trial, Shiraishi admitted guilt and was sentenced to death in December 2020. His defense argued 'murder with consent,' claiming victims sought death, but the judge found his actions 'cunning and cruel,' pointing to sexual and financial motives and the extreme suffering Minister Keisuke Suzuki, after stating he ordered the execution 'following careful review of all factors,' condemned Shiraishi's 'extremely selfish motives' that 'caused great shock and anxiety in society.' The execution, carried out in secret at Tokyo Detention House, was confirmed publicly only show around 80 percent of Japanese support the death penalty. But critics, including suicide-prevention advocates and human rights groups, spotlight the mental health crisis that Shiraishi exploited. One father of a victim told reporters, 'Nothing has changed,' expressing that the execution could not heal enduring families' pain remains raw, even as media outlets report that Shiraishi's death reignites debate on Japan's capital punishment system, its secrecy, timing, and psychological toll. Experts reference the wrongful conviction of Iwao Hakamada, who spent nearly 45 years on death row before exoneration, as a warning for 'Twitter killer' case exposed systemic gaps in online suicide disclosures , prompting platforms like Twitter (now X) to reinforce rules against encouraging self-harm. Activists say the tragedy underscores the need for better mental-health infrastructure and earlier intervention, not just harsher legal now carries out capital punishment in exceptional cases; Shiraishi is the first execution since July 2022. As of now, around 105 inmates remain on death row, nearly half seeking retrials.
The Star
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Japan executes ‘Twitter killer'
The country executed a man dubbed the 'Twitter killer', who murdered and dismembered nine people he met online, in the nation's first enactment of the death penalty since 2022. Takahiro Shiraishi (pic), 34, was hanged for killing his young victims, all but one of whom were women, after contacting them on the social media platform now called X. He had targeted users who posted about taking their own life, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Shiraishi's crimes, carried out in 2017, included 'robbery, rape, murder ... destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse'. 'Nine victims were beaten and strangled, killed, robbed and then mutilated with parts of their bodies concealed in boxes, and parts discarded in a garbage dump,' Suzuki told reporters in Tokyo. Shiraishi acted to satisfy 'his own sexual and financial desires' and the murders 'caused great shock and anxiety to society', Suzuki said. Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries to still use capital punishment, and there is strong support for the practice among the Japanese public, surveys show. Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murders of his nine victims, aged between 15 and 26. After luring them to his small home near the capital, he stashed parts of their bodies around the apartment in coolers and toolboxes sprinkled with cat litter in a bid to hide the evidence. His lawyers had argued that Shiraishi should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed because his victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and so had consented to die. But a judge dismissed that argument, calling Shiraishi's crimes 'cunning and cruel', reports said. 'The dignity of the victims was trampled upon,' the judge had said, adding that Shiraishi had preyed upon people who were 'mentally fragile'. The grisly murders were discovered in autumn 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly tweeted about wanting to kill herself. Her brother gained access to her Twitter account and eventually led police to Shiraishi's residence, where investigators found dismembered body parts. Executions are always done by hanging in Japan, where around 100 death row prisoners are waiting for their sentences to be carried out. Nearly half are seeking a retrial, Suzuki said yesterday. Japanese law stipulates that executions must be carried out within six months of a verdict after appeals are exhausted. In reality, however, most inmates are left on tenterhooks in solitary confinement for years, and sometimes decades. There is widespread criticism of the system and the government's lack of transparency over the practice. In 2022, Tomohiro Kato was hanged for an attack that killed seven people in 2008, when he rammed a rented two-tonne truck into a crowd in Tokyo and went on a stabbing spree. The high-profile executions of the guru Shoko Asahara and 12 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult took place in 2018. Aum Shinrikyo orchestrated the 1995 sarin gas attacks on Tokyo's subway system, killing 14 people and sickening thousands more. — AFP
Kyodo News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Japan executes man convicted of 9 murders, 1st hanging since 2022
KYODO NEWS - 15 hours ago - 18:15 | All, Japan Japan executed on Friday a man convicted of the 2017 serial murders of nine people near Tokyo, the government said, marking the country's first hanging since July 2022. The death sentence of Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, dubbed Japan's "Twitter killer," was finalized in 2021, after he withdrew an appeal. He was found guilty of murdering, dismembering and storing the bodies of his nine victims, who had posted suicidal thoughts on social media, in his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture. "I ordered the execution after careful and deliberate consideration," Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki told a press conference held to announce the hanging, which was the first since Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba took office in October last year. The execution comes as questions are raised about the country's capital punishment system after the exoneration of Iwao Hakamata, 89, who spent more than four decades on death row. He was acquitted over a 1966 quadruple murder and his retrial was finalized in October 2024. Shiraishi was also convicted of sexually assaulting all eight female murder victims and stealing cash. Using a Twitter handle that loosely translates as "hangman," he invited his eventual victims to his apartment after they had expressed suicidal thoughts. The nearly three-year hiatus in executions in Japan is thought to be due to the dismissal of former Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi over inappropriate comments about the death penalty at a political gathering in 2022. He said the ministerial post is a "low-key" position and it becomes "a top story in daytime news programs only when stamping a seal on documents of executions." Before Shiraishi, Tomohiro Kato, 39, was the last to be executed, in July 2022. He was convicted for a 2008 rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district in which seven people were killed and 10 others injured. "No one has the right to take someone's life and it cannot be justified for any reason. Amnesty objects to any form of execution without exceptions," the Japanese branch of Amnesty International said in a statement. The human rights organization urged the Japanese government to take measures to swiftly end the practice. While domestic legal experts have called for a review of the death penalty amid international pressure to end executions and following Hakamata's acquittal, a 2024 government survey on the issue showed over 80 percent of those polled support the system, calling it "unavoidable." It was the fifth consecutive time that support for capital punishment exceeded 80 percent in the government poll, conducted every five years. After the execution of Shiraishi, there are 105 inmates on death row in Japan, of whom 49 have filed retrial requests. Japan and the United States are the only Group of Seven nations still handing down capital sentences. The European Union, which bars countries with the death penalty from joining, has been vocal in calling on Japan to review its stance. According to Amnesty International, a total of 15 countries conducted executions in 2024. Related coverage: Death penalty ruling finalized for Japan's "Twitter killer" Man acquitted of 1966 murders awarded record criminal compensation FEATURE: Steady-handed prison guard remembers faces of condemned FOCUS: Japan makes major step toward revising controversial retrial system
Los Angeles Times
16 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Japan executes man convicted of murder for killing and dismembering 9 people in his apartment
TOKYO — A man convicted of murder for killing and dismembering nine people in his apartment near Tokyo was executed Friday, Japan's Justice Ministry said. Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the 'Twitter killer,' was sentenced to death in 2020 for the killings in 2017 of the nine victims, most of whom had posted suicidal thoughts on social media. He was also convicted of sexually abusing female victims. Police arrested him later that year after finding the bodies of eight teenage girls and women as well as one man in cold-storage cases in his apartment. Investigators said Shiraishi approached the victims via Twitter, offering to assist them with their suicidal wishes. He killed the three teenage girls and five women after raping them. He also killed the boyfriend of one of the women to silence him. 'The case caused extremely serious outcomes and dealt a major shockwave and unease to the society,' Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki told an emergency news conference. He said he signed the execution earlier this week, but did not witness Shiraishi's hanging. The execution was carried out as calls grow to abolish capital punishment or increase transparency in Japan after the acquittal of the world's longest-serving death row inmate Iwao Hakamada last year. Suzuki justified the need for the execution in Japan, noting a recent government survey shows an overwhelming majority of the public still supports capital punishment, though opposition has somewhat increased. 'I believe it is not appropriate to abolish execution,' Suzuki said, adding there is growing concern about serious crime. Shiraishi was hanged at the Tokyo Detention House in secrecy with nothing disclosed until the execution was done. Japan now has 105 people on death row, including 49 seeking retrials, Suzuki said. Executions are carried out in secrecy in Japan, where prisoners are not even informed of their fate until the morning of their hanging. Since 2007, Japan has begun disclosing the names of those executed and some details of their crimes, but disclosures are still limited. Japan and the U.S. are the only two countries in the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations that retain capital punishment. Japan's most recent execution, in July 2022, was of a man who killed seven people in a vehicle crash and stabbing rampage in a crowded Tokyo shopping district of Akihabara in 2018. Japan's crime rate is relatively low, but it has seen some high-profile mass killings in recent years. Yamaguchi writes for the Associated Press.
Bangkok Post
16 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Japan executes 'Twitter killer' who murdered 9 people
TOKYO - Japan on Friday executed a man dubbed the "Twitter killer" who murdered and dismembered nine people he met online, in the nation's first enactment of the death penalty since 2022. Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was hanged for killing his young victims, all but one of whom were women, after contacting them on the social media platform now called X. He had targeted users who posted about taking their own lives, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Shiraishi's crimes, carried out in 2017, included "robbery, rape, murder... destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse". "Nine victims were beaten and strangled, killed, robbed, and then mutilated with parts of their bodies concealed in boxes, and parts discarded in a garbage dump," Suzuki told reporters in Tokyo on Friday. Shiraishi acted "for the genuinely selfish reason of satisfying his own sexual and financial desires" and the murders "caused great shock and anxiety to society", Suzuki said. "After much careful consideration, I ordered the execution." Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries to still use capital punishment, and there is overwhelming support for the practice among the Japanese public. - Cat litter - Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murders of his nine victims, aged between 15 and 26. After luring them to his small home near the capital, he stashed parts of their bodies around the apartment in coolers and toolboxes sprinkled with cat litter in a bid to hide the evidence. His lawyers had argued Shiraishi should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed because his victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and so had consented to die. But a judge dismissed that argument, calling Shiraishi's crimes "cunning and cruel", according to reports at the time. The dignity of the victims was trampled upon," the judge had said, adding that Shiraishi had preyed upon people who were "mentally fragile". The grisly murders were discovered in autumn 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly tweeted about wanting to kill herself. Her brother gained access to her Twitter account and eventually led police to Shiraishi's residence, where investigators found the nine dismembered bodies. - Death row prisoners - Executions are always done by hanging in Japan, where around 100 death row prisoners are waiting for their sentences to be carried out. Nearly half are seeking a retrial, Suzuki said Friday. Japanese law stipulates that executions must be carried out within six months of a verdict after appeals are exhausted. In reality, however, most inmates are left on tenterhooks in solitary confinement for years, and sometimes decades. There is widespread criticism of the system and the government's lack of transparency over the practice. In 2022, Tomohiro Kato was hanged for an attack that killed seven people in 2008, when he rammed a rented two-tonne truck into a crowd in Tokyo's Akihabara district, before getting out and going on a stabbing spree. "I came to Akihabara to kill people. It didn't matter who I'd kill," Kato told police at the time. The high-profile executions of the guru Shoko Asahara and 12 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult took place in 2018.
