Execution carried out for the "Twitter murderer" in Japan, who was responsible for nine homicides.
A Grisly Verdict: The Execution of Takahiro Shiraishi
It's been five years since Japan's last execution, and the case that's lit the headlines this week is as shocking as ever. On June 27, 2025, 34-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi was hanged for slaughtering nine individuals - eight of them women - after connecting with them through an infamous social network known as X. This platform served as his hunting ground, targeting internet users expressing suicidal thoughts online, offering help, and even aiding in their own demise.
In a press conference held in Tokyo, Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki detailed Shiraishi's crimes, which encompassed robbery, rape, murder, and the desecration and abandonment of corpses. The victims were brutally beaten, strangled, and mutilated, with remnants of their bodies found in boxes and a dumpster. Suzuki explained that the killer's actions were motivated by a desire to gratify his sexual and financial cravings, creating a wave of shock and alarm within society.
After carefully considering the gravity of the crimes committed, Suzuki ordered the execution of Shiraishi, who waived his right to appeal. Citing the victims' trampled dignity and his focus on psychologically vulnerable individuals, the judge stated that the case had caused significant anxiety across the nation.
As Japan grapples with this case, it's important to remember that it is a country with a low crime rate, making this incident all the more striking. The case has reignited debates about social media control, suicide prevention, and Japan's continued use of the death penalty despite international criticism from human rights organizations.
The Japanese Ministry of Justice has confirmed approximately 100 prisoners currently await execution, with 49 of them seeking retrials as they go through their sentences in strict isolation. As of now, Japan and the United States are the only G7 countries still employing the death penalty, primarily for those convicted of multiple homicides.
This case marks a grim milestone in Japan's history and brings the country's capital punishment practices into sharp focus once again.
Further Reading
It's worth exploring these articles for a deeper understanding of the issue:
- Japan's Executions Without Compunction
- A Probing Look into Japan's Capital Punishment Practices
** sources:**
[1]: Japan has continued to enforce the death penalty primarily for murder cases over the years, with hangings serving as the preferred method of execution. Notable cases with unique aspects have cropped up in recent years, including the June 27, 2025 execution of a man responsible for the gruesome murder and dismemberment of nine people in his Tokyo-area apartment, demonstrating Japan's ongoing commitment to capital punishment for multiple homicides. [2]: The Japanese Ministry of Justice oversees executions and the release of information about them, with executions typically kept under wraps until they've occurred. Transparent details about individual cases between 2017 and 2025 are limited, but the implementation of the death penalty for serious crimes remains consistent.
- The gruesome execution of Takahiro Shiraishi on June 27, 2025, for his heinous crimes during war-and-conflicts, encompassing murder, rape, robbery, and mutilation, has become a newsworthy topic in the general-news category, stirring debates on social media control, suicide prevention, and Japan's stance on crime-and-justice and capital punishment.
- Despite international criticism from human rights organizations, Japan, along with the United States, remains one of the few G7 countries still practicing the death penalty, primarily for multiple homicides, as evident in the case of Takahiro Shiraishi's execution in 2025, shedding light on the country's politics surrounding this controversial practice.
