Born to an impoverished family in Keelung, Pai dropped out of formal education in her teenage years.

In 1973, she won a prize in a singing contest held by Taiwan Television and following this success she pursued a career in the local entertainment business.

Their daughter Pai Hsiao-yen was born in 1980 but their marriage was quickly dissolved the next year after Kajiwara engaged in an extramarital affair and committed domestic violence.

[citation needed] In 1997, Pai Hsiao-yen, then 16 years old, was kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered.

This event subsequently made the elder Pai into a social activist to advocate the use of death penalty; Pai founded the Swallow Foundation and chaired it to date to advocate capital punishment as well as provide legal support to local crime victims.