Death penalty for Japanese serial killer who targeted women with 'extreme choice' worries via Twitter, killing 9

Approaching Women Who Posted "Jukgosipda" Hashtag
8 Female Victims, 1 Male Victim... Including a 15-Year-Old
In 2017, Partial Body Found Near Murderer's Residence

Photo by Takahiro Shiraishi, Twitter capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A man in his 30s who approached nine people contemplating extreme choices on Twitter in Japan and then murdered them has been sentenced to death.

Foreign media such as The Washington Post and The Guardian reported on the 15th that Takahiro Shiraishi (30), known as the "Twitter Killer," was sentenced to death on the same day for strangling and mutilating the bodies of nine victims, including young women and girls.

His crimes were first uncovered in October 2017 when police found parts of a corpse near his apartment. The victim's brother, who discovered messages exchanged with Shiraishi, reported it to the police, who then tracked Shiraishi.

Shiraishi used social media to lure people contemplating suicide to his home.

He said he was not interested in suicide itself but used "suicide" as a method to attract more victims. He searched for people who left hashtags like "I want to die" on Twitter.

He used one of his five Twitter accounts, "@hangingpro." He posted messages on Twitter offering to help those suffering, saying things like "Hanging yourself is not difficult" and "If you can't do it yourself, I can help."

The nine victims killed by Shiraishi. Eight are young women, and one is a man. Photo by Twitter capture.

He first lured women to his apartment, then sexually assaulted and strangled them. He also mutilated some of their bodies.

Among the nine victims he murdered, eight were young women, including minors under 15 years old. There was also a male victim who was killed after meeting Shiraishi while searching for a missing female friend.

His first victim was a 21-year-old woman. Shiraishi met her at a park with her male acquaintance. Later, the woman reportedly transferred about $4,500 (approximately 4.9 million won) to his bank account to help pay his apartment rent.

Shiraishi admitted, "I strangled her because I didn't want to repay the money," and confessed, "When the woman disappeared, I killed the male acquaintance who came looking for her."

Shiraishi's defense team argued that the victims wanted to die by themselves and agreed to the killings, claiming that the charges should be mitigated.

However, in October, Shiraishi suddenly denied his defense team's claims and admitted in court that he committed the murders without the victims' consent.

Takahiro Shiraishi. Photo by Twitter capture.

The court sentenced Shiraishi to death as requested by the prosecution, stating, "None of the victims consented to the murders. The consequences of taking nine young and precious lives are grave. The victims' dignity in death was trampled upon."

The father of one victim tearfully said in court last month, "Even if Shiraishi dies, I will never forgive him," adding, "Even now, when I see women around my daughter's age, I confuse them with my daughter. This pain will never disappear. Please bring her back to me."

While executions in South Korea ended after the simultaneous execution of 23 death row inmates on December 30, 1997, Japan still carries out the death penalty, primarily by hanging. Japan has continued executions steadily, including the July 2018 execution of 13 members and followers of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, led by Shoko Asahara, who orchestrated the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack.

Meanwhile, following this news, the Japanese government expanded suicide prevention hotlines (counseling calls) and online support for people considering suicide.

Japan has the highest suicide rate among the seven advanced countries. Although the number of suicides has sharply decreased over the past decade, it has risen again this year, especially among young women. Experts claim this is related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jiro Ito, head of the suicide prevention nonprofit organization OVA, said, "This incident revealed the many vulnerable people who post suicidal thoughts on Twitter seeking help," adding, "Society must provide more support to such people. The fundamental problem is that there are people who cannot directly say 'help me' in the real world."

※ If you need professional help for difficult issues such as depression, you can receive 24-hour counseling at suicide prevention hotlines 1577-0199, suicide prevention counseling 1393, Hope Phone 129, Life Phone 1588-9191, and Youth Phone 1388.