An attorney representing Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest-serving death row inmate who was recently acquitted in a Japanese retrial of a 1966 quadruple murder, announced plans on Tuesday to potentially file a lawsuit against the government. This legal action is in response to the fabrication of evidence that led to Hakamada’s wrongful conviction and subsequent incarceration for 48 years, significantly impacting his mental health.
Hakamada, an 88-year-old former boxer, was declared not guilty last week by the Shizuoka District Court, which determined that law enforcement officers and prosecutors colluded to fabricate and plant evidence against him. The court revealed that Hakamada was coerced into giving a false confession during prolonged and aggressive interrogations.
This exoneration marked him as the fifth death row inmate in postwar Japan to be acquitted in a retrial, a country where prosecutors boast a conviction rate exceeding 99% and retrials are exceedingly rare. The case dates back to 1966 when Hakamada was convicted of the murder of an executive and three of his family members, alongside arson in central Japan. Although he was sentenced to death in 1968, the execution was delayed due to Japan’s notoriously slow legal system.
Spending over 45 years on death row, Hakamada holds the harrowing title of being the longest-serving death row prisoner globally, according to Amnesty International. Upon the acceptance of the ruling by prosecutors, he is entitled to compensation of approximately 200 million yen ($1.4 million), marking the finalization of his acquittal. Additionally, Hakamada’s legal team is contemplating pursuing damages against the government for their role in the evidence fabrication, a decision fueled by their belief that such actions are unforgivable.
Hideyo Ogawa, Hakamada’s lawyer, emphasized the necessity of mandating recordings of investigation processes in the future to prevent similar injustices. Hakamada’s sister, Hideko Hakamada, who dedicated years to proving her brother’s innocence, shares concerns about his skepticism regarding his newfound freedom, partially due to his prolonged solitary confinement and mental health struggles.
Following his rare public appearance at a gathering near his hometown of Hamamatsu, where he expressed gratitude for the victory, Hideko Hakamada disclosed that her brother still appears to doubt his liberation. Calls for legal revisions to facilitate retrials and condemnation of potential appeals from prosecutors have emerged from lawyers, activists, and human rights organizations in response to this case.
The protracted legal battle endured by Hakamada sheds light on Japan’s capital punishment system, marked by secrecy in executions and the lack of advance notification to inmates scheduled for hanging. The enduring repercussions of Hakamada’s wrongful conviction and subsequent acquittal underscore the need for reform and increased transparency within Japan’s criminal justice system.
