Iwao Hakamada Cleared of Murder After Decades on Death Row in Japan

Hakamada, accused of a 1966 murder in Japan, has finally been declared innocent after spending decades on death row.

He was initially arrested after helping put out a fire at his boss’s home, where the bodies of his boss and family were found stabbed, with ¥200,000 stolen.

Authorities arrested him based on a small bloodstain on his pyjamas and a confession obtained after 264 hours of harsh interrogation, during which he was denied water and toilet breaks and reportedly beaten.

Hakamada later retracted his confession and maintained his innocence. In 2011, he became the longest-serving death row inmate, according to Guinness World Records. Although his conviction was upheld in 1980, new evidence emerged in 2014, leading to his release and a retrial.

Central to the retrial was the discovery of blood-stained clothes in a tank of miso at his workplace, which had been used as evidence against him. However, his lawyers argued that the DNA on the clothes didn’t match his, suggesting the police may have planted evidence.

In 2014, a judge ruled the clothes didn’t belong to Hakamada, and after years of legal delays, the retrial began last year.

On Thursday, Judge Koshi Kunii declared Hakamada innocent, also concluding that key evidence was fabricated by prosecutors.

This case has raised concerns about Japan’s justice system, known for its “hostage justice” tactics, where suspects are forced into confessions through long detentions and intimidation during interrogations.

Hakamada, now in the care of his sister Hideko since 2014, has been waiting for justice for over half a century.

Despite the acquittal, supporters, including Atsushi Zukeran, say the prolonged fight for his freedom highlights the need for major reforms in Japan’s criminal justice system. Currently, 107 prisoners remain on death row in Japan, where executions are carried out with just a few hours’ notice.