Japan executes 'Twitter Killer' Takahiro Shiraishi for 2017 Serial Murders

Japan has carried out its first execution since 2022, putting to death Takahiro Shiraishi, known around the world as the “Twitter Killer” on Friday. Shiraishi was found guilty and convicted for the killing of nine people in a very disturbing case which shook the country and also brought to light issues related to online discussions of suicide.

Shiraishi, who at the time of his execution was 33, was put to death this past week for a series of brutal murders which came to light in October 2017. Operating from his apartment in Zama,  near Tokyo, Shiraishi used Twitter (now known as X) to identify and lure into his scheme individuals at risk of suicide. His victims included 8 women and 1 man, ranging in age from 15 to 26.

Under the pretense of offering support and companionship in death, Shiraishi messaged his victims with promises to help them have a painless death and even claimed to die along with them. His Twitter bio at the ime read: “I want to help people who are really in pain. Please DM me anytime.”

Once the victims agreed to meet him, he took them to his apartment. There, he would strangle them, dismember their bodies and put their remains in coolers and toolboxes. On October 30, 2017, when police responded to a missing persons report, they went to his home and there they found nine dismembered bodies which at the time Japanese media reported as the “house of horrors” case.

Shiraishi, who was arrested immediately on the spot, later confessed to all nine murders during police interrogation. At first his defense team presented the argument that the victims had in fact given their consent which in turn would have supported a lesser charge of “murder with consent.” But Shiraishi’s story was different, stating bluntly that there was no instance of consensual killing.

In December 2020, a Japanese court sentenced him to death which ignored the defense’s case and instead brought to light the calculated and predatory quality of the crime. The report of the verdict went viral which saw over 400 people queue up for rare public seats in the courtroom.

The case did also bring into question the role of social media in the development of harmful situations. In response, Twitter revised it’s policies to explicitly ban content that “promotes or encourages suicide or self harm.”

Shiraishi’s execution case is that of a rare yet large-scale use of Japan's death penalty system which the country reserves for what is to be considered the most serious of crimes. The government reports the execution but did not release further details, consistent with its practice of keeping the dates of the executions secret until the act is performed.