Japan Court Acquits World's Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate After Over 50 Years

 

An 88-year-old Japanese man, Iwao Hakamada, who spent more than half a century on death row, has been acquitted by a court in Japan. On Thursday, September 26, the Shizuoka District Court ruled that Hakamada was innocent, overturning his 1968 conviction for a murder that occurred two years prior.

"The court finds the defendant innocent," said Judge Koshi Kunii, in a long-awaited retrial granted after fresh evidence emerged nearly ten years ago.

Hakamada, a former professional boxer, had been sentenced to death in 1968 for the murder of his boss, his boss's wife, and their two teenage children, followed by an attempt to cover up the crime by setting their home on fire. He spent 46 years on death row, the longest period served by any prisoner in the world, until he was released in 2014 when the court ordered a retrial due to new evidence that cast doubt on his guilt.

Throughout his imprisonment, Hakamada maintained his innocence, claiming that the police had coerced his confession through physical abuse and harsh interrogation tactics. His defense team argued that key evidence used in the original trial, including his alleged confession and clothes supposedly worn during the crime, had been tampered with by investigators.

The court's ruling acknowledged that the evidence had been manipulated. "Investigators tampered with clothes by getting blood on them," the court stated, and criticized the use of "inhumane interrogations meant to force a statement through mental and physical pain." It also noted that Hakamada's right to remain silent had been violated, which likely led to a false confession.

There has been no word yet on whether prosecutors will appeal the verdict, but Hakamada’s lawyers are urging them not to, given his age and the clear issues with the evidence. His 91-year-old sister, Hideko Hakamada, who has tirelessly campaigned for his release, expressed hope that the legal battle was finally over.

"For so long, we fought a battle that seemed never-ending, but I believe this time justice will be served," she said.

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, celebrated the court’s decision. Boram Jang, a researcher for Amnesty International, stated, "We are overjoyed by the court's decision to exonerate Iwao Hakamada. This verdict is an important recognition of the profound injustice he endured for most of his life."

The case has highlighted significant flaws in Japan's criminal justice system and the dangers of capital punishment, leading to calls for Japan to reconsider the death penalty to prevent similar injustices in the future.