Japan executes ‘Twitter killer’ responsible for series of brutal murders
On June 27, Tokyo executed Takahiro Shiraishi, known by his unofficial nickname 'Twitter killer', in a final court ruling. The 34-year-old has been the subject of heated public debate since his conviction in 2020 for a series of particularly brutal and shocking murders that shook Japanese society and caused waves of indignation and fear. In total, his victims were eight young women aged between 15 and 26 and one man - the boyfriend of one of the victims. The murders, committed in the suspect's apartment in the city of Zama, near Tokyo, were extremely brutal: the bodies of the victims were found dismembered and hidden in refrigerators by police. Shiraishi himself, according to the investigation, actively used the social network Twitter to purposefully search for his victims. Sources, including Bloomberg and The Guardian, report that the convict offered his "help" to female users who posted messages with suicidal tendencies on the network to commit suicide. Under the guise of support, he lured them to his home, after which he committed brutal crimes: rape, murder and dismemberment of bodies. A particularly brutal crime - the murder of one of the victims, a boy who was her roommate - was committed in order to hide his own crimes and delay the investigation. This case caused a great resonance in society, as it struck not only the scale of violence, but also the cynicism with which the suspect used social networks to commit crimes and manipulate victims. According to official information, the court found Takahiro Shiraishi guilty of all crimes and sentenced him to the maximum penalty - the death penalty. The execution was carried out in a Tokyo prison, where the man was hanged on Friday, June 27. This decision caused a wide resonance, because the case is not only outrageous for its cruelty, but also highlights the problem of using the Internet for criminal purposes. The use of the death penalty in Japan causes much debate in society and among human rights activists, but state authorities insist on its necessity for punishment for particularly serious crimes, in particular those related to mass murders and murders with particular cruelty. In this case, the verdict became another reminder of the dark side of social media, its potential use for criminal purposes, as well as emphasizing the need to strengthen security measures and prevent similar tragedies in the future.