Latest news with #capitalPunishment
Times of Oman
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Japan hangs 'Twitter Killer' in first execution since 2022
Tokyo: Japan has executed a man convicted of murdering and dismembering nine people, in the country's first use of the death penalty since 2022. Takahiro Shiraishi — dubbed the "Twitter killer" — strangled eight women and one man to death in 2017 after contacting them on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. The victims — aged between 15 and 26 — had posted about having suicidal thoughts. Shiraishi told them he could aid them in their plans or even die alongside them. He was also convicted of sexually abusing female victims. Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020. Shiraishi's execution comes amid growing calls to abolish capital punishment in Japan, a country where public support for the practice remains overwhelmingly strong. Japan and the United States are the only two major industrialised democracies that still have the death penalty. Capital punishment is carried out by hanging in Japan, with prisoners being notified of their execution hours before it is carried out. Human rights groups criticise the process, saying that it puts stress on death-row prisoners. There are some 100 death row prisoners in the country waiting for their sentence to be carried out. Nearly half of them are seeking retrial, Suzuki told the media on Friday. Japan's last execution took place in July 2022, when a man convicted of a 2008 stabbing rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district was hanged. The hanging took place on Friday at the Tokyo Detention House under strict secrecy. No information was disclosed until the execution was completed. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki, who authorised Shiraishi's hanging, said he made the decision after careful consideration, taking into account the convict's "extremely selfish" motive for crimes that "caused great shock and unrest to society."
CNA
27-06-2025
- CNA
Japan executes 'Twitter killer' who murdered nine
TOKYO: Japan on Friday (Jun 27) executed a man dubbed the "Twitter killer" who murdered and dismembered nine people he met online, in the nation's first enactment of the death penalty since 2022. Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was hanged for killing his young victims, all but one of whom were women, after contacting them on the social media platform now called X. He had targeted users who posted about taking their own lives, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Shiraishi's crimes, carried out in 2017, included "robbery, rape, murder... destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse". "Nine victims were beaten and strangled, killed, robbed, and then mutilated with parts of their bodies concealed in boxes, and parts discarded in a garbage dump," Suzuki told reporters in Tokyo on Friday. Shiraishi acted "for the genuinely selfish reason of satisfying his own sexual and financial desires" and the murders "caused great shock and anxiety to society", Suzuki said. "After much careful consideration, I ordered the execution." Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries to still use capital punishment, and there is overwhelming support for the practice among the Japanese public. CAT LITTER Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murders of his nine victims, aged between 15 and 26. After luring them to his small home near the capital, he stashed parts of their bodies around the apartment in coolers and toolboxes sprinkled with cat litter in a bid to hide the evidence. His lawyers had argued Shiraishi should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed because his victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and so had consented to die. But a judge dismissed that argument, calling Shiraishi's crimes "cunning and cruel", according to reports at the time. The dignity of the victims was trampled upon," the judge had said, adding that Shiraishi had preyed upon people who were "mentally fragile". The grisly murders were discovered in autumn 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly tweeted about wanting to kill herself. Her brother gained access to her Twitter account and eventually led police to Shiraishi's residence, where investigators found the nine dismembered bodies. DEATH ROW PRISONERS Executions are always done by hanging in Japan, where around 100 death row prisoners are waiting for their sentences to be carried out. Nearly half are seeking a retrial, Suzuki said Friday. Japanese law stipulates that executions must be carried out within six months of a verdict after appeals are exhausted. In reality, however, most inmates are left on tenterhooks in solitary confinement for years, and sometimes decades. There is widespread criticism of the system and the government's lack of transparency over the practice. In 2022, Tomohiro Kato was hanged for an attack that killed seven people in 2008, when he rammed a rented two-tonne truck into a crowd in Tokyo's Akihabara district, before getting out and going on a stabbing spree. "I came to Akihabara to kill people. It didn't matter who I'd kill," Kato told police at the time. The high-profile executions of the guru Shoko Asahara and 12 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult took place in 2018.
Al Arabiya
27-06-2025
- Al Arabiya
Japan executes ‘Twitter killer' who murdered nine
Japan on Friday executed a man dubbed the 'Twitter killer' who murdered and dismembered nine people he met online, in the nation's first enactment of the death penalty since 2022. Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was hanged for killing his young victims, all but one of whom were women, after contacting them on the social media platform now called X. He had targeted users who posted about taking their own life, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Shiraishi's crimes, carried out in 2017, included 'robbery, rape, murder... destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse.' 'Nine victims were beaten and strangled, killed, robbed, and then mutilated with parts of their bodies concealed in boxes, and parts discarded in a garbage dump,' Suzuki told reporters in Tokyo. Shiraishi acted to satisfy 'his own sexual and financial desires' and the murders 'caused great shock and anxiety to society', Suzuki said. 'After much careful consideration, I ordered the execution.' Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries to still use capital punishment, and there is strong support for the practice among the Japanese public, surveys show. There was one execution in 2022, three in 2021, three in 2019 and 15 in 2018, the justice ministry told AFP. Cat litter Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murders of his nine victims, aged between 15 and 26. After luring them to his small home near the capital, he stashed parts of their bodies around the apartment in coolers and toolboxes sprinkled with cat litter in a bid to hide the evidence. His lawyers had argued Shiraishi should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed because his victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and so had consented to die. But a judge dismissed that argument, calling Shiraishi's crimes 'cunning and cruel', reports said at the time. 'The dignity of the victims was trampled upon,' the judge had said, adding that Shiraishi had preyed upon people who were 'mentally fragile.' The grisly murders were discovered in autumn 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly tweeted about wanting to kill herself. Her brother gained access to her Twitter account and eventually led police to Shiraishi's residence, where investigators found dismembered body parts. Death row prisoners Executions are always done by hanging in Japan, where around 100 death row prisoners are waiting for their sentences to be carried out. Nearly half are seeking a retrial, Suzuki said Friday. Japanese law stipulates that executions must be carried out within six months of a verdict after appeals are exhausted. In reality, however, most inmates are left on tenterhooks in solitary confinement for years, and sometimes decades. There is widespread criticism of the system and the government's lack of transparency over the practice. In 2022, Tomohiro Kato was hanged for an attack that killed seven people in 2008, when he rammed a rented two-ton truck into a crowd in Tokyo and went on a stabbing spree. The high-profile executions of the guru Shoko Asahara and 12 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult took place in 2018. Aum Shinrikyo orchestrated the 1995 sarin gas attacks on Tokyo's subway system, killing 14 people and sickening thousands more.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Yahoo
Japan executes murderer dubbed ‘The Twitter killer' who dismembered nine people in his home
A man dubbed the "Twitter killer" has been executed in Japan for the murder and dismemberment of nine people. Takahiro Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the killings, which took place in 2017 at his apartment near Tokyo. Shiraishi lured his victims, most of whom had posted suicidal thoughts on social media, before murdering them. He was also convicted of sexually abusing female victims. The execution comes as calls for the abolition of capital punishment in Japan continue to grow. This debate has intensified following the acquittal last year of Iwao Hakamada, who had been the world's longest-serving death-row inmate. Shiraishi was hanged at the Tokyo Detention House in high secrecy with nothing disclosed until the execution was done. Police arrested him in 2017 after finding the bodies of eight females and one male in cold-storage cases in his apartment. Investigators said Shiraishi approached the victims via Twitter, offering to assist them with their suicidal wishes. He killed the eight women, including teenagers, after raping them, and also killed a boyfriend of one of the women to silence him. Japan's suicide rate ranks among the world's highest. Following a recent decline, the number has climbed back this year as people were hit by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan's crime rate is relatively low, but it has seen some high-profile mass killings in recent years.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Yahoo
Japan executes murderer dubbed ‘The Twitter killer' who dismembered nine people in his home
A man dubbed the "Twitter killer" has been executed in Japan for the murder and dismemberment of nine people. Takahiro Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the killings, which took place in 2017 at his apartment near Tokyo. Shiraishi lured his victims, most of whom had posted suicidal thoughts on social media, before murdering them. He was also convicted of sexually abusing female victims. The execution comes as calls for the abolition of capital punishment in Japan continue to grow. This debate has intensified following the acquittal last year of Iwao Hakamada, who had been the world's longest-serving death-row inmate. Shiraishi was hanged at the Tokyo Detention House in high secrecy with nothing disclosed until the execution was done. Police arrested him in 2017 after finding the bodies of eight females and one male in cold-storage cases in his apartment. Investigators said Shiraishi approached the victims via Twitter, offering to assist them with their suicidal wishes. He killed the eight women, including teenagers, after raping them, and also killed a boyfriend of one of the women to silence him. Japan's suicide rate ranks among the world's highest. Following a recent decline, the number has climbed back this year as people were hit by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan's crime rate is relatively low, but it has seen some high-profile mass killings in recent years.
