Japan Court Acquits Former Boxer of Murder After 48 Years on Death Row

A Japanese court has declared Iwao Hakamada, an 88-year-old former boxer, not guilty of murder. This important decision ends his wrongful conviction after spending nearly 50 years on death row. 

The ruling came from the Shizuoka District Court on Thursday and has raised big questions about the death penalty in Japan.

Hakamada was found guilty in 1968 for killing a company manager and three members of his family. He was also accused of burning down their house in central Japan. Although he received the death penalty, he was never executed. 

This was because of the long appeals process and many retrials. Hakamada became the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, spending 48 years in prison, mostly in solitary confinement.

The presiding judge, Koshi Kunii, said there were many problems with the evidence used against Hakamada. The judge confirmed that Hakamada did not commit the crime. This ruling has sparked conversations about Japan's legal system and the use of the death penalty.

Hakamada’s legal journey has been very long. After being convicted, he waited 27 years before his first appeal was denied. In 2008, his sister, Hideko Hakamada, now 91, filed a second appeal. This eventually led to the recent retrial that began in October 2023.

In 2014, Hakamada was released from prison after new evidence came to light. This evidence suggested that he may have been forced to confess to the crime. After his release, he lived at home because of his poor health, and officials thought he was unlikely to escape.

During a hearing in May, prosecutors asked for the death penalty again. This demand drew criticism from human rights groups, who said prosecutors were trying to drag out the case. Many legal experts now want to change the rules for retrials, which are currently very strict.

A big part of the case was about five pieces of blood-stained clothing. Investigators claimed Hakamada wore these clothes during the murders and hid them in a tank of miso. 

The clothes were found more than a year after his arrest. In a 2023 ruling, a Tokyo High Court pointed out that tests showed clothing soaked in miso for a long time would not show blood stains. This raised doubts about the evidence against him.

Hakamada's defense lawyers argued that DNA tests showed the blood did not belong to him. They also said the pants presented as evidence were too small for him. Supporters believe Hakamada’s long imprisonment has hurt his mental health. He lived in constant fear of being executed.

Hideko Hakamada has spent much of her life fighting for her brother’s innocence. Before the ruling on Thursday, she shared her frustrations about getting a retrial. 

She said, "It is so difficult to get a retrial started. Not just Iwao, but I'm sure there are other people who have been wrongly accused." She hopes that her brother's case will help change the law to make retrials easier for others.