Iwao Hakamata Acquitted After 58 Years

Iwao Hakamata, an 88-year-old former professional boxer, has been acquitted in a retrial of a 1966 quadruple murder case after spending nearly 50 years on death row, making him the world's longest-serving death row inmate. The Shizuoka District Court found that evidence against him was fabricated and that he had been coerced into a confession. Prosecutor General Naomi Unemoto announced that the prosecution would not appeal the court's decision, bringing closure to the decades-long legal battle. Hakamata's acquittal is significant as it marks the fifth time in postwar Japan that a death sentence has been overturned on retrial. His sister, Hideko, expressed relief at the resolution, while authorities pledged to investigate the lengthy retrial process. Hakamata is now entitled to government compensation of approximately 200 million yen due to the wrongful conviction.