Japanese Man Acquitted of 1966 Murders After 45 Years on Death Row, Says Reuters

By Rocky Swift

TOKYO – A Japanese man believed to have spent the longest time on death row has been acquitted of murder, marking a significant resolution for his family after a wrongful conviction for crimes committed nearly 60 years ago.

The Shizuoka district court cleared Iwao Hakamada, 88, during a retrial concerning the murders of four individuals in central Japan in 1966. Hakamada had spent 45 years on death row before a court ordered his release and a retrial in 2014, prompted by doubts regarding the evidence that led to his conviction.

Originally accused of fatally stabbing his former boss and their family before setting their home ablaze, Hakamada briefly confessed to the crimes but later retracted his admission, maintaining his innocence during the trial. Nevertheless, in 1968, he was sentenced to death, a verdict that Japan’s Supreme Court upheld in 1980.

In 2008, one of the judges who had sentenced Hakamada, Norimichi Kumamoto, requested a retrial from the Supreme Court, but the plea was denied. Hakamada’s legal team argued that DNA testing on bloodstained clothing linked to the case indicated that the blood did not belong to him.

Since his release, Hakamada has lived with his older sister, Hideko, who dedicated decades to advocating for his exoneration. Human rights organization Amnesty International described the ruling as a "pivotal moment for justice" and has urged Japan to abolish the death penalty.

"After enduring almost half a century of wrongful imprisonment and a further ten years awaiting his retrial, this verdict recognizes the grave injustice he faced for most of his life," Amnesty stated. "It concludes an inspiring struggle to clear his name."