Overview

• Takahiro Shiraishi was executed by hanging on June 27, marking Japan’s first use of capital punishment since July 2022.
• Convicted in 2020 for the 2017 murders of nine victims aged 15 to 26, Shiraishi targeted individuals expressing suicidal thoughts on social media.
• Authorities uncovered 240 human body parts in his Zama apartment after tracing the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman to Shiraishi’s online accounts.
• Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Shiraishi’s crimes were driven by sexual and financial motives, that he chose not to appeal, and that about 100 inmates now await execution on death row.
• Shiraishi’s case has reignited calls for tighter regulation of social media platforms and stronger suicide prevention measures in Japan.