In a landmark decision, an 88-year-old man who held the title of the world’s longest-serving death row inmate has been acquitted by a Japanese court.
Iwao Hakamada, who spent more than five decades on death row, was found guilty in 1968 of the quadruple murder of his boss, the man’s wife, and their two teenage children. However, recent revelations regarding the integrity of the evidence used against him led to a retrial and ultimately his exoneration.
Hakamada was initially convicted based on evidence that included bloodstained clothes discovered in a tank of miso shortly after the gruesome murder, which took place in Shizuoka, west of Tokyo. Authorities accused him of murdering the family, setting fire to their home, and stealing 200,000 yen. Hakamada initially denied the charges but later provided what he described as a coerced confession, following intense interrogations that reportedly lasted up to 12 hours a day.
The decades-long saga took a significant turn when Hakamada’s defense team argued that DNA evidence from the bloodstained clothes did not match his, suggesting that they may have belonged to another individual. In 2014, Judge Hiroaki Murayama noted that the clothes were not those of Hakamada and stated, “It is unjust to detain the defendant further, as the possibility of his innocence has become clear to a respectable degree.” This assertion was pivotal in securing a retrial for Hakamada, who has been living under the care of his sister since his release in 2014 due to his deteriorating mental state.
On Thursday, the Shizuoka District Court officially declared Hakamada innocent and concluded that the prosecutors’ key evidence was fabricated. As the verdict was announced, supporters outside the courtroom erupted in cheers of “banzai”—a Japanese exclamation meaning “hurray.” Although Hakamada was not present due to his health issues, the moment marked the conclusion of one of Japan’s longest and most infamous legal battles, drawing significant public interest, with around 500 people queuing for seats in the courtroom.
Hakamada’s prolonged detention, predominantly spent in solitary confinement, has severely impacted his mental health, as expressed by his lawyers and family. His sister, Hideko, now 91, has tirelessly advocated for his release and expressed immense relief following the retrial’s outcome. “Finally, a weight has been lifted from my shoulders,” she remarked.
Retrials for death row inmates are exceptionally rare in Japan; Hakamada’s case marks only the fifth such instance in the post-war era. With Japan being one of the few industrialized nations to still impose capital punishment, Hakamada’s exoneration raises critical questions about the justice system and the handling of evidence in capital cases.
As Japan continues to grapple with its capital punishment policies, Hakamada’s case serves as a poignant reminder of the potential for injustice within the legal system, spotlighting the need for reform and greater scrutiny of evidence in serious criminal cases.
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