Japan has executed Takahiro Shiraishi, a man infamous for murdering and dismembering nine individuals he met through social media, marking the country’s first death penalty enactment since 2022. Shiraishi’s execution was carried out by hanging on Friday.
Convicted in 2017, Shiraishi lured his victims—predominantly young women aged 15 to 26—to his Tokyo apartment under the guise of offering assistance to those contemplating suicide. Reports indicate that he confessed to all nine murders, appallingly storing parts of the victims’ bodies in coolers around his home.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki outlined the severity of Shiraishi’s crimes, detailing acts of robbery, rape, murder, and the subsequent mutilation and abandonment of the bodies. He expressed that the decision for execution followed careful consideration of the brutality of Shiraishi’s actions.
Japan, alongside the United States, is one of the few countries in the G7 that continues to uphold the death penalty. A significant 83% of respondents in a recent government survey supported the practice, viewing it as necessary for public safety.
The execution comes after a long interval, with several other individuals on death row, including 107 sentenced prisoners awaiting their fate as of December 2023. While the legal framework mandates that executions occur within six months of a final verdict, many inmates face years of uncertainty in solitary confinement, which can lead to severe mental health issues.
Criticism surrounds Japan’s death penalty process due to its lack of transparency; prisoners are often informed of their execution at the last moment, typically just hours before it occurs. This public reaction contrasts sharply with the widespread condemnation of the treatment of inmates and the psychological toll of prolonged solitary confinement.
In 2022, the execution of Tomohiro Kato, who committed mass murder in Tokyo in 2008, marked the previous death penalty action in Japan. This context underscored an ongoing debate about the justice system and the consequences of violent crime in Japanese society.
The execution of Shiraishi serves as a stark reminder of the severe consequences of heinous crimes and the complex discussion surrounding the death penalty in Japan.