Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner, was acquitted by a Japanese court on Thursday, more than 50 years after his 1968 murder conviction.
The Shizuoka District Court ruled the 88-year-old was not guilty in a retrial initiated by Hakamada and his supporters a decade ago.
“The court finds the defendant innocent,” declared Judge Koshi Kunii.
Due to his fragile health, Hakamada was not present at the court, but his 91-year-old sister, Hideko, who frequently speaks on his behalf, bowed deeply to Judge Kunii several times in gratitude.
Hakamada had spent 46 years on death row after being convicted of murdering his boss, the man’s wife, and their two teenage children. However, doubts regarding fabricated evidence and coerced confessions have intensified scrutiny of Japan’s justice system, which critics argue holds suspects “hostage.”
Hundreds lined up at the Shizuoka District Court, eager to witness the verdict in a case that has captivated the nation. “For so long, we have fought a battle that has felt endless. But this time, I believe it will be settled,” Hideko told reporters in July.
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Japan is one of the few major industrialized democracies, alongside the United States, that still enforces capital punishment, a policy that enjoys widespread public support. Hakamada is only the fifth death row inmate in Japan’s post-war history to be granted a retrial, with all previous cases resulting in exoneration.
His lead lawyer, Hideyo Ogawa, noted that after decades of detention, mostly in solitary confinement, Hakamada sometimes seems as though he “lives in a world of fantasy.” In 2018, Hakamada described his ongoing battle for acquittal, stating, “I feel I am fighting a bout every day. Once you think you can’t win, there is no path to victory.”
Outside the courthouse, supporters held flags and banners advocating for a not-guilty verdict. Atsushi Zukeran, wearing a T-shirt that read “Free Hakamada Now,” expressed confidence in his acquittal due to doubts surrounding the evidence. However, he added, “Given how long the affair has dragged on, with Hakamada maintaining his innocence throughout, part of me wouldn’t be able to celebrate the acquittal entirely. His case is a painful reminder of how Japan’s criminal justice system must change.”
Although the Supreme Court upheld Hakamada’s death sentence in 1980, his supporters fought for decades to reopen the case. A turning point occurred in 2014 when a retrial was granted based on allegations of evidence tampering, leading to Hakamada’s release from prison.
Legal complications, including resistance from prosecutors, delayed the retrial until last year. Hakamada initially denied involvement in the murders but later confessed after enduring what he described as a brutal police interrogation involving beatings.
Key evidence in the trial included blood-stained clothing found in a tank of miso—a year after the murders—used to incriminate Hakamada. The defense accused investigators of staging the evidence, claiming the bloodstains were too bright, while prosecutors insisted their tests confirmed the color’s authenticity.
In Japan, death row prisoners receive only a few hours’ notice before their execution, which is always carried out by hanging. As of December, 107 inmates were awaiting their death sentences.
Hakamada’s case exemplifies Japan’s so-called “hostage justice” system, according to Teppei Kasai, Asia program officer for Human Rights Watch. “Suspects are forced to confess through long and arbitrary periods of detention, and there is often intimidation during interrogation,” he stated.
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