Japan’s longest-serving death row inmate acquitted after years of imprisonment

Iwao Hakamata, a Japanese man who spent 45 years on death row for a 1966 murder conviction, was cleared in a retrial, ending his family’s quest for justice after doubts arose about the evidence against him. Hakamata, now 88, was acquitted by the Shizuoka district court, with prosecutors having 10 days to appeal. His sister, Hideko Hakamata, expressed relief and gratitude for the verdict. Hakamata had been found guilty of killing his company manager and three others and setting a fire to their home, but retracted his confession and pleaded innocent during trial. Despite spending almost five decades in prison, including over 45 years awaiting execution, evidence that his conviction was based on fabricated accusations led to his release in 2014 pending a retrial. His lawyers argued that DNA tests proved his innocence. The lead lawyer expressed gratitude for the not guilty verdict and Amnesty International hailed the exoneration as a pivotal moment for justice, calling for an end to the death penalty in Japan. The case highlights the importance of fighting for justice in the face of wrongful imprisonment and the impact of a family’s decades-long battle to clear a loved one’s name.

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