THE longest-serving death row inmate in the world, Iwao Hakamata, has been exonerated after enduring more than five decades of ‘wrongful imprisonment.’

According to public broadcast NHK, a Japanese court ruled on Thursday that the 88-year-old Hakamata was wrongfully convicted in 1968 for the brutal murder of a family.

This landmark decision has sparked renewed discussions about Japan’s capital punishment system and its broader judicial practices.

Hakamata’s conviction was primarily based on a pair of blood-stained trousers found in a miso tank, which were later determined to have been planted by investigators long after the crime occurred.

Judge Kunii Tsuneishi of the Shizuoka District Court stated that the court “cannot accept that the bloodstains would remain reddish if soaked in miso for over a year.”

The judge concluded that the evidence against Hakamata had been altered and concealed by the authorities.

Once a promising professional boxer, Hakamata found himself entangled in a legal nightmare when the family of his employer was discovered murdered in June 1966.

Following intense police interrogations that spanned several days, he initially conceded to the crime but later recanted his confession, claiming it was obtained under duress through threats and violence.

Despite his protests and claims of fabricated evidence, he was sentenced to death, with a divided court ruling in a 2-1 verdict. The dissenting judge resigned shortly after, disheartened by the injustice.

As he spent years on death row, new evidence began to emerge.

A DNA analysis conducted on the blood from the trousers indicated no link to either Hakamata or the victims, prompting the Shizuoka District Court to order a retrial in 2014.

Due to his age and declining mental state, Hakamata was released while awaiting the retrial.

Despite initial setbacks, including a Tokyo High Court’s refusal to accept the retrial petition, the Japanese Supreme Court intervened in 2023, allowing him another chance.

Retrials in Japan are exceptionally rare, with 99% of cases ending in convictions.

Upon hearing the verdict, Hideko, Hakamata’s 91-year-old sister, emotionally expressed her relief, stating she couldn’t stop crying.

Hakamata’s lawyer, Hideyo Ogawa, hailed the ruling as “groundbreaking” but lamented that “58 years was too long.”

Hakamata’s extended imprisonment has severely affected his mental health as he now leads a detached existence with little interest in the world around him.

Despite his troubled past, Hakamata has begun to experience fleeting joys since his release and adopted two cats.(CMM)

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