Found innocent after 46 years on death row: the tragic fate of Japanese Iwao Hakamada

This Thursday, September 26, 2024, Iwao Hakamada, an 88-year-old Japanese man, was declared innocent of the quadruple murder for which he had been convicted in 1968 and which earned him 46 years on death row.

Just minutes after the verdict of this retrial in this extraordinary case, Iwao Hakamada was filmed by the Japanese media leaving his home.

Weakened physically and mentally by nearly five decades of waiting for his execution, the world's longest-serving death row inmate did not attend the hearing that took place in Shizuoka, not far from where he lives.

Dressed in a hat and a sleeveless vest over a light shirt, Iwao Hakamada descended a few steps, supported by relatives. According to local media, they made sure he would not watch television when the verdict was delivered.

Accused of quadruple murder

This case, which began in 1966, is a symbol for supporters of the abolition of the death penalty in Japan, who are fewer in number in the archipelago according to polls than those who support it.

A former boxer who became an employee in a miso (fermented soybean) manufacturing company, Iwao Hakamada was accused of having murdered his boss and three members of the latter's family in 1966 and was sentenced to death. capital punishment two years later.

Investigators Implicated

This Thursday, September 26, 2024, the judge's conclusions seriously called into question the investigation.

“The court determined that three pieces of evidence had been fabricated suggesting that the accused was the perpetrator of the crime. Excluding these elements, the other incriminating evidence is not sufficient to establish that he is the perpetrator" of the crimes, the judge specified in his reasons.

He also described the interrogation method as "inhuman" because it aimed to inflict "physical and mental pain" and to "force him to make statements", a theory that his lawyers have always maintained defended.

At the time of the events, he had initially confessed to being the perpetrator of these murders before retracting, citing the interrogation methods. His death sentence was upheld in 1980 by Japan's Supreme Court.

In 2014, a court acknowledged doubts about his guilt after tests showed that DNA found on bloody clothing did not match his own.

Long and winding road

This was confirmed by the judge on Thursday, explaining that “investigators altered the clothing by putting blood on it”.

After this episode, Mr. Hakamada was released. But the path to obtaining this retrial was particularly long and tortuous.

On appeal by the prosecution, the Tokyo High Court in 2018 questioned the reliability of the DNA tests and overturned the 2014 decision, without sending Mr. Hakamada back to prison.

In 2020, there was a new twist: the Supreme Court overturned the decision that had prevented Mr. Hakamada from being retried. And so it was the verdict of this retrial that Hakamada, his relatives, led by his sister Hideko, 91, and his supporters were waiting for.

The fear of an appeal

This verdict obviously pleased his supporters, gathered in front of the Court from the start of the day.

“The judgment was the one we were waiting for. It's a very long fight. Our next move is to demand that prosecutors not appeal,” said Akiko Abe, a 64-year-old Japanese woman, fearing that the prosecution's use of this right will be undermined.