Japan has executed a man who murdered nine people in 2017, marking the first time since 2022 that the country has carried out capital punishment.

Takahiro Shiraishi, dubbed the 'Twitter killer,' was responsible for the heinous crimes that shocked the nation and raised questions about the discussion of suicide online.

Shiraishi, then 30, lured his victims—mostly young women between the ages of 15 and 26—to his apartment, where he strangled and dismembered them.

The killings came to light in October 2017 when police discovered body parts in the Japanese city of Zama near Tokyo while searching for one of the victims.

Shiraishi admitted to murdering nine suicidal individuals, claiming he had become acquainted with them through Twitter.

He falsely claimed he would help them die and sometimes asserted he would kill himself alongside them.

His Twitter profile read: "I want to help people who are really in pain.

Please DM me anytime." Nine dismembered bodies were found in coolers and tool boxes at his flat, which media outlets described as a 'house of horrors.' While prosecutors sought the death penalty for Shiraishi, his lawyers argued for the lesser charge of 'murder with consent,' asserting that his victims had given their permission to be killed.

They also requested an evaluation of his mental state.

However, Shiraishi later contradicted his defense team's account and maintained that he killed without the victims' consent.

Hundreds attended his verdict hearing in December 2020 when he was sentenced to death.

The murders led Twitter to modify its rules, stating users should not 'promote or encourage suicide or self-harm.' Japan's justice minister, Keisuke Suzuki, who ordered Shiraishi's execution, stated the killer acted for genuinely selfish reasons, aiming to satisfy his sexual and financial desires.

According to an AFP report, Suzuki emphasized that the case caused significant shock and anxiety within society.