Putting an end to a horrifying chapter, Japan has finally executed a brutal killer who exploited social media to prey on vulnerable young people.
Dubbed the “Twitter killer,” Takahiro Shiraishi met his fate for murdering and dismembering nine victims, including eight women he raped, after luring them through online messages about suicide.
The execution marks Japan’s first use of capital punishment since 2022, delivering long-awaited justice to victims’ families.
The 34-year-old was hanged after being sentenced to death in December 2020 for his horrific crime spree.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki confirmed the execution, stating that Shiraishi committed his crimes “for the genuinely selfish reason of satisfying his own sexual and financial desires.”
Suzuki also added that Shiraishi’s actions “caused great shock and anxiety to society.”
The killer’s method was particularly disturbing. He searched Twitter (now X) for users expressing suicidal thoughts, specifically targeting young women between 15 and 26 years old.
He would offer to help them die or even claim he would join them in suicide.
Once they arrived at his apartment in Zama, near Tokyo, he strangled them, sexually assaulted the female victims, and dismembered their bodies.
Police discovered Shiraishi’s “house of horrors” in October 2017 while investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman.
Takahiro Shiraishi
He killed 9 schoolgirls #twitterkiller #UPDATE Japan has executed a man dubbed the "Twitter killer" who murdered and dismembered nine people he met online. 2025.6.27It was Japan's first execution since 2022 pic.twitter.com/ok0tJxWqJC
— 심연숙 (@2GPcMplIhsKgqRl) June 27, 2025
Inside his apartment, they found nine dismembered bodies stored in coolers and toolboxes.
The victims included eight women, three of whom were teenagers, the youngest just 15 years old, and one man, who was the boyfriend of a victim whom Shiraishi killed to avoid detection.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said the killer intentionally targeted victims who were “mentally fragile” and executed him after “careful consideration.”
While his defense lawyers initially attempted to argue that the victims had consented to be killed, Shiraishi himself later contradicted this defense.
His crimes included not just murder but also robbery, rape, and the destruction and abandonment of corpses.
The execution came just over four and a half years after Shiraishi’s sentencing, providing closure to the families of the victims.
Japan, along with the United States, remains one of only two G7 nations that still retain the death penalty.
The case also prompted Twitter to change its rules to prohibit promoting or encouraging suicide or self-harm.
Executions in Japan are carried out by hanging, with prisoners typically not informed until the day of their execution.
Ultimately, the “Twitter killer” case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers lurking online, targeting society’s most vulnerable members.
