Japan has executed a man who murdered nine people in 2017, the country has enacted the death penalty for the first time since 2022.
The serial killing of Takahiro Shiraishi, Known as “Twitter Killer”shocked the country and sparked debate on how to discuss suicide online.
Shiraishi, who was 30, then attracted his victims, most of whom were young women aged 15 to 26, to his apartment and then strangled and dismembered.
In October 2017, the murder broke out while police searching for the body in the Japanese city of Zama, near Tokyo, when they were searching for one of the victims.
Warning: Readers may find some details in the frustrating situation of this story.
Shiraishi later admitted to murdering nine suicide victims and revealed that he met them on Twitter, the social media platform now known as X.
He then told them that he could help them die, claiming in some cases that he would commit suicide with them.
His Twitter profile contains the words: “I want to help those who are really suffering. Feel free to (directly message) me.”
When police visited his apartment, Nnine’s dismembered body was found in a cooler and toolbox, which was called “House of Terror” by the media.
Although prosecutors demanded a death sentence for Shiraishi, his lawyers argued that the charges of “consent to murder” were smaller, claiming that his victims had allowed them to be killed.
They also called for an assessment of his mental state.
Shiraishi later disputed the incident version of his defense team and said he was killed without the victim’s consent.
When he was sentenced to death, hundreds of people appeared in December 2020 for his verdict hearing.
The murder also prompted Twitter to make changes, which revised its rules for state users to not “promote or encourage suicide or self-harm.”
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In the UK, you can call 0800 066 066 at any time for free. In Japan, you can get help here.