A Japanese man convicted of murder after killing and dismembering nine people in his apartment outside Tokyo was executed on Friday.

Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the "Twitter Killer," was executed for the 2017 murders of nine people he lured through social media. Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 after being convicted of murdering and dismembering eight women and one man in his apartment near Tokyo. He was also convicted of sexually assaulting several of the female victims.

Shiraishi targeted individuals who had posted suicidal thoughts online, contacting them through Twitter under the name “Hanging Pro” and offering assistance in taking their lives. H ewent on to kill three teenager girls and five women after raping them. He also murdered the boyfriend of one victim to silence him.

According to the Daily Mail, Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki confirmed the execution at a press conference, saying, “The case caused extremely serious outcomes and dealt a major shockwave and unease to society.” Suzuki signed the execution order earlier this week but did not witness the hanging.

Shiraishi's Twitter account featured a manga-style image of a man with scars on his neck and wrists, wearing a rope. The profile said he had expertise in hanging.

“I want to help people who are really in pain. Please DM me anytime,” it said. “There must be many people in society who are suffering after attempting suicides, though their cases are not reported in the news. I want to help such people.”

In other posts, he urged his victims not to inform their family or friends about their suicidal intentions.

“It is not good to tell friends, family members and social networking sites that you are going to die before committing suicide,” one post read.

His execution was carried out in secret, as is standard in Japan. Inmates are typically not informed until the morning of their execution, and public disclosure is made only after it is completed. Though Japan began releasing the names and basic case details of executed inmates in 2007, information remains tightly restricted.

Shiraishi’s hanging comes as debate continues in Japan over capital punishment. Last year, the acquittal of the world’s longest-serving death row inmate renewed calls from activists for more transparency or abolition. Japan currently has 105 inmates on death row, with 49 seeking retrials. Japan and the United States remain the only G7 countries that still carry out executions.