[JapanCase] world’s longest-serving death row inmate
Hakamada Iwao (born March 10, 1936) is a former professional boxer from Japan who was convicted of murdering a family of four and committing arson in Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 1966, while working at a miso factory. He was sentenced to death in 1980. Although Hakamada initially confessed to the crime after his arrest, he later claimed that the confession was coerced under torture and maintained his innocence from the beginning of his trial.
Hakamada's sister, Hideko, advocated for his innocence and began seeking a retrial in 1981. However, the Supreme Court rejected her petition in March 2008 after 27 years. But in April of the same year, a second retrial petition was filed, and in the course of the retrial, it was revealed that the DNA from bloodstains found on the clothing allegedly belonging to the perpetrator did not match Hakamada’s. The court also pointed out evidence tampering by the authorities. On March 27, 2014, Hakamada’s death sentence was suspended, and a retrial was granted. The case became known as the Hakamada case, a retrial supported by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. Hakamada, who was known as the "longest-serving death row inmate in the world," was finally acquitted on September 26, 2024.
The case that led to Hakamada's conviction involved the murders of four family members, including a company president and his wife, and two children, who were all found stabbed to death in their home. The authorities initially believed Hakamada committed the murders, set the house on fire, and stole 200,000 yen. Hakamada denied the charges at first but eventually gave a confession after prolonged interrogation and abuse by the police. In 1968, he was convicted of murder and arson and sentenced to death.
The legal battle that lasted for decades began with bloodstained clothing found at the scene of the crime, which was used as key evidence in convicting Hakamada. However, Hakamada's lawyers argued for years that the DNA from the clothing did not match Hakamada’s and could have belonged to someone else, raising the possibility of evidence tampering by the authorities. In 2014, Judge Hiroaki Murayama agreed with the defense, stating that the clothes did not belong to Hakamada, and ruled in favor of his release. The retrial started in 2014, and on September 26, 2024, the court ruled Hakamada's acquittal. This case became one of the longest and most famous legal battles in Japan, with Hakamada’s supporters celebrating outside the courthouse.
Hakamada's mental health had severely deteriorated during his years in solitary confinement, living under the constant threat of execution. Since his release, he has been cared for by his sister, Hideko. The Hakamada case is one of the rare instances of a death row inmate being acquitted through a retrial in Japan, with Hakamada becoming the fifth person to be acquitted after a final death sentence since World War II.
