Iwao Hakamada, a Japanese man who spent 46 years on death row, has been found not guilty of multiple murders in a closely watched trial that has raised questions about Japan’s use of the death penalty. Hakamada, now 88, was initially sentenced to hang in 1968 for the murders of his boss, his boss’s wife, and their two teenage children. However, he was freed in 2014 after new evidence emerged and a retrial was ordered.
Hakamada consistently proclaimed his innocence, stating that investigators had forced him to confess and that evidence had been fabricated by the police. The recent verdict, reported by Japanese media outlets, has sparked debate about whether prosecutors will appeal. As Hakamada’s 91-year-old sister, Hideko, who has campaigned for his release, expressed relief at the outcome, stating that she believed the battle was finally over.
The retrial hinged on the reliability of bloodstained clothes that prosecutors claimed Hakamada had been wearing at the time of the murders. DNA tests later proved that the blood was not his. His case has highlighted flaws in Japan’s criminal justice system and the harsh reality of capital punishment. Despite high public support for the death penalty in Japan, Hakamada’s case has shed light on the “hostage justice” system, where suspects are subjected to lengthy detentions and coercive interrogations. Human Rights Watch has called for reforms to prevent future injustices like Hakamada’s ordeal.
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