Hakamada Acquitted After 46 Years on Death Row

Iwao Hakamada, the world's longest-serving death row inmate, was acquitted by the Shizuoka District Court in Japan after a retrial, ending a nearly six-decade-long legal battle. Hakamada, a former professional boxer, was convicted in 1968 for the 1966 murders of his boss and his boss's family, a conviction based on a coerced confession and fabricated evidence. New DNA evidence led to his release in 2014 and a retrial that eventually exonerated him. This case has intensified calls for the abolition of the death penalty in Japan, which, along with the United States, is one of the few G7 countries to still enforce capital punishment. Hakamada's sister, Hideko, who campaigned tirelessly for his release, expressed immense relief at the acquittal. The case has raised significant questions about the integrity of Japan's criminal justice system, particularly its reliance on confessions and the treatment of suspects in pre-trial detention.