The Japanese serial killer known as the “Twitter Killer,” Takahira Shiraishi, has been executed after being sentenced to death for murdering nine people, mostly young women he lured through the social media platform Twitter. His crimes, uncovered in 2022, involved raping and killing victims in his apartment near Tokyo, as well as killing the boyfriend of one victim to cover his tracks. Shiraishi offered victims help in carrying out suicidal intentions, sparking major concern and debate about the role of social media in such tragedies. His execution marks the first use of the death penalty in Japan in nearly three years, stirring further controversy in a country increasingly calling for abolition of capital punishment, especially after the acquittal of the longest-serving death row inmate due to falsified evidence. Justice investigator Keisuke Suzuki stated the decision to execute was made after thorough analysis and that it is inappropriate to abolish the death penalty while such violent crimes continue. The case shocked Japanese society and led to changes in Twitter’s rules, now banning promotion or encouragement of suicide and self-harm. While prosecutors sought the death penalty, the defense argued for lesser charges claiming the victims consented to their killings, a version Shiraishi later denied. Hundreds attended the sentencing hearing, and the case has ignited wide public debate on social media safety and justice in Japan.
