JAPAN has executed the man who brutally murdered eight women and one man – aged between 15 and 26 – after luring them to his flat.
Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the “Twitter killer”, was involved in the horrific acts of raping, strangling, and dismembering his victims, a case that sent shockwaves through one of the world’s most secure nations.
Shiraishi, who committed the crimes in 2017, was executed by hanging – marking Japan’s first execution since 2022.
Then 27, the serial killer lured young women to his home, where he raped them before murdering them.
Three of the eight women were schoolgirls.
He also killed the boyfriend of one of the women to silence him.
The grim discovery came in October 2017, during an investigation into the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who was last spotted walking alongside Shiraishi.
Cops found the victims’ body parts in Shiraishi’s flat in the Japanese city of Zama, near Tokyo.
One resident told The Japan Times in 2017: “I thought it smelled like sewage. It was something I never smelled before.”
Another neighbour said they noticed a “nasty smell” coming from the flat.
Nine dismembered bodies were found in three coolers and five large storage boxes inside the flat – dubbed the “house of horrors” by the media.
The serial killer had discarded parts of his victims in the bin, which was collected with the recycled garbage.
It later emerged that he had searched online for how to mutilate bodies before buying a saw and a meat cleaver.
Shiraishi pleaded guilty to murdering nine victims in October 2020.
The killer revealed he met them on the social media platform Twitter, now known as X.
He told the victims he could help them die, even claiming in some cases he would kill himself alongside them.
His Twitter profile wrote: “I want to help people who are really in pain. Please DM [direct message] me anytime.”
Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Shiraishi, while his defense team pushed for a prison term, arguing that the victims had consented to their deaths, suggesting he be charged with “murder with consent.”
They also called for his mental state to be assessed.
But Shiraishi later disputed his own defence team’s version of events, revealing he killed without the victims’ consent.
435 people showed up to watch the 2020 verdict sentencing him to death – despite the court having only 16 public seats – Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported.
As a result of the murders, Twitter changed its rules to state users should not “promote or encourage suicide or self-harm”.
Shiraishi was hanged at the Tokyo Detention House in secrecy.
Japan’s Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki, who ordered Shiraishi’s execution, announced the news on Friday.
He said Shiraishi acted “for the genuinely selfish reason of satisfying his own sexual and financial desires” and that the case “caused great shock and anxiety to society”, according to AFP.
Japan currently has 105 people on death row, Suzuki added.
The country has one of the lowest crime rates in the world.
If you are having feelings of despair or emotional distress, help is available.
In the UK, you can call Samaritans anytime, free of charge, at 116 123 any time.
In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – also available 24/7.
What is Japan’s death penalty?
JAPAN’S justice system allows the death penalty for serious crimes like murder, typically carried out by hanging.
The nation’s death penalty dates back to the Meiji era – with the current legal framework established under the Penal Code of 1907.
Executions are rare and usually follow a lengthy appeals process.
The justice minister must sign the execution order.
Inmates are often told just hours before, and the executions are carried out in total secrecy.
Between January 2000 and June 2025, 99 inmates have been executed in Japan.
Who was executed before Takahiro Shiraishi?
July 2022: Tomohiro Kato, 39, was executed for a rampage in a Tokyo shopping district in 2018, where he killed seven people in a car crash and stabbing spree.
December 2021: Yasutaka Fujishiro, 65, was executed for killing seven relatives in 2004.
December 2021: Tomoaki Takanezawa, 54, and Mitsunori Onogawa, 44, were executed for the 2003 murders of two employees at separate pachinko parlours.
August 2019: Koichi Shoji, 64, was executed for multiple rape-murders in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2001.
August 2019: Yasunori Suzuki, 50, was executed for murdering three women – and raping one of them – in Fukuoka Prefecture between 2004 and 2005.
