Takihiro Shiraishi, who lured suicidal victims via Twitter and murdered them, is executed in Japan, marking the first execution under PM Shigeru Ishiba.
Takihiro Shiraishi, known as the “Twitter Killer,” was executed Friday in Japan after being convicted of murdering nine people – eight women and one man – at his apartment in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, in 2017.
Shiraishi used the social media platform Twitter to find victims who had expressed suicidal thoughts, promising to “help them die,” only to later murder them in a gruesome manner.
This marks Japan’s first execution since July 2022, and the first under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government, which took office in October 2024.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki approved the sentence, describing the motive as “extremely selfish,” which caused deep public outrage.
Executions in Japan are carried out in secrecy, with inmates notified only hours in advance — a practice that has drawn criticism from human rights organizations.
