Execution of Death Row inmate Takahiro Shiraishi: “Money is the key,” he told this reporter during an interview.

On January 5, ’21, he was sentenced to death.

On June 27, the Ministry of Justice carried out the sentence of death row inmate Takahiro Shiraishi, who had been sentenced to death for robbery and forcible sex murder for killing nine people in an apartment in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture in ’17.

The case was discovered back on October 31, 2005. Nine dismembered bodies were found in an apartment in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The first victim was a woman who had posted suicidal thoughts on Twitter (now X). Shiraishi, a death-row inmate, discouraged her from committing suicide and offered her a place to live with him. Later, he rented the apartment where the crime scene took place with the woman’s money and moved in with her, but he felt that she would eventually leave him, so he killed her.

Feeling that he could easily obtain sexual pleasure and money at this time, he sexually assaulted and murdered seven women in just the next two months. He then robbed them of their money and goods. He also killed a man who was an acquaintance of one of the victims to keep him quiet and take his money and goods.

At the trial held at the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court, he appealed the application of the lesser penalty of consent murder, claiming that he had obtained consent for the murder, but the court in its December 2008 ruling refused to recognize them and sentenced him to death.

The defense appealed to the Tokyo High Court, but Shiraishi himself withdrew the appeal, and on January 5, 2009, his death sentence was finalized.

FRIDAY first visited Shiraishi on September 21, 2006, about a year after his arrest. At that time, only one media company was allowed to visit Shiraishi per day. On that day, other media outlets had also requested to meet with him, but he chose this magazine. We look back at the article that reported the details of the interview at the time.

Anything as long as you give me money.”

The article in this magazine reported the following about the situation at the time of the interview. (The following is a quote from the article as it appeared at the time. (The following is a quote from the article as it appeared at the time, with names and other details as they appeared at the time.)

(Making a circle with his finger) “It depends on this. As long as you give me money, I will tell you anything.

It has been about a year since the “Zama Incident,” in which nine men and women who met through social networking services were murdered. Takahiro Shiraishi, who was arrested and charged with robbery, forcible sexual intercourse, and murder, met with this magazine on September 21, 2006.

Around 10:20 a.m., Shiraishi appeared in a visiting room at the Takao Police Station (Hachioji City), where he was detained, looking a changed man from the time of the incident. He was wearing a plain gray sweatshirt with a top and bottom and square black-rimmed glasses. His shaggy hair was long enough to reach his shoulders, and he wore a scruffy beard on his skinny cheeks and chin.

Why did he agree to be interviewed by this magazine? We first asked Shiraishi, who bowed to the reporter with a blank expression and sat down.

He replied, “I thought that someone from a weekly magazine would give me this (gesture of money) after all. …… I nominated him to meet with someone from Kodansha, who had previously sent me letters and magazine inserts.”

Since the interview was forbidden to ask about the case, I asked him about life in the detention center, and he began to complain about the food.

The jail serves three meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but it’s all very frugal, like bread with jam, and it’s not very filling. …… Now, the best thing in life is eating. If you have money, you can eat more attractive menus.”

I was concerned that he was talking about money again, but I did not want to waste the limited 20 minutes of our interview time, so I continued with my questions. However, when I asked him about his current state of mind, Shiraishi spoke as he did at the beginning of the interview and then fell silent. From then on, no matter what I asked him, he replied, “It depends on the money.

Why does Shiraishi demand money so much? What would he tell us if we gave him money? In order to find out Shiraishi’s true intentions, after our interview, we offered him the maximum amount of 30,000 yen. On September 25, 2006, Shiraishi again agreed to the interview, but this time with a different look.

He said, “The 30,000 yen came in, and I was quite excited. As long as there is a cash connection, I will meet with Mr. Friday.”

What is he going to do with the money while he is in detention?

I wanted to play with women more.”

For 400 yen I bought a fried chicken lunch box. To be honest, when you have money, your life is totally different when you go to the detention center. There is a store in the detention center, and they have chocolate pie, plate chocolate, anpan (buns), and cream buns. I was told by people inside that it is really hard without money, so I want to save as much as I can and go to the detention center. If I can get regular cash drops, I will write letters from now on. Not only to Mr. Friday, but I will also write a letter (of repentance) to my parents. I’ll change the price, though, depending on the recipient.”

Shiraishi gazes into the eyes of the reporter as he continues to blabber on. However, when the subject of his relationship with his parents came up, he frowned for a moment and then began to speak with a puzzled expression on his face.

I have not heard from my parents …… at all. They don’t send me anything, nor do they request to see me. I feel that I have caused my parents so much trouble that I have no face to face with them. But I also want to meet them and apologize to them if they come for a visit ……. However, if you ask me if I really want them to come, I have mixed feelings. It’s like I want to see them or I don’t want to see them …….”

At the time, it was before the first trial, but I am sure he knows that the possibility of a maximum sentence is high. Does he have any regrets about his life? I asked him one last time.

I wanted to eat better food. I wanted to eat more delicious food, like the ramen at “Mongolian Ramen Nakamoto,” ……, which I liked. I also wanted to have more fun with women. It’s just an ordinary thing, really.

It is true that he became more talkative after receiving the money, but he did not express remorse for the incident or apologize to the victims. On the contrary, he said with a smile that he wanted to play with women after killing eight women. The two visits to the prison revealed an extremely hedonistic and self-centered Shiraishi.