Japan hangs 'Twitter killer' in first execution since 2022
:: Japan carries out its first execution since 2022, hanging a man who was dubbed the 'Twitter killer'
:: Kyodo/via REUTERS
:: Takahiro Shiraishi strangled and dismembered nine people whom he met on social media in his apartment
:: Tokyo, Japan
:: Keisuke Suzuki, Japanese Justice Minister
"Today the execution of Takahiro Shiraishi was carried out."
"This case caused great shock and discomfort to the public, with the loss of nine victims and precious human lives in a span of two months for the extremely selfish reasons of satisfying his own sexual and financial desires."
"In the light of the given facts, I, as Minister of Justice, after careful consideration, ordered the execution to be carried out."
Takahiro Shiraishi had been sentenced to death for his 2017 strangling and dismembering of eight women and one man in his apartment in Zama city in Kanagawa near Tokyo. He was dubbed the "Twitter killer" as he contacted victims via the social media platform.
Friday's execution is the first since the July 2022 hanging of a man who went on a stabbing rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district in 2008, killing seven people.
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