After nearly half a century on death row, Iwao Hakamada, once a professional boxer, has been acquitted in a shocking retrial that revealed a miscarriage of justice. Now 88, Hakamada’s release has ignited public outcry over Japan’s flawed criminal justice system.
In the year 1961, Iwao Hakamada retired from his job as a boxer and picked up a job at a “soybean processing plant” he was still employed in this business, his boss, along with his boss’s wife and two kids, was found dead in a stabbing incident after being recovered from a fire at the families home. He had also been accused of robbing the family after this attack as well, and because of Iwao Hakamada’s connections to this family, he was identified as a possible suspect.
After he was identified as a suspect, he was put through many official police questions before he was said to have confessed, but not long after this confession, it was taken back because it was noted that Hakamada was allegedly “beaten and tortured into confessing by police.” ( Evidence provided from deathpenaltyinfo.org ) Yet even after this treatment, Iwao Hakamada was still “sentenced to death in a 2-1 decision, by a three-judge panel” on September 11, 1968.
But in the year 2014, Iwao Hakamada was given a retrial because, on the crime scene, there was blood identification on a pair of pants that did not align with Hakamada or any of the victims in the case. Not only this but also in the year 2014, Iwao Hakamada was released from prison “because of his age and compromised mental state.” Unfortunately, this did not last long because two years later, in 2016, the decision to release Hakamada was overturned by Tokyo’s High Court.
If added up, this case meant that up until now, Iwao Hakamada had been on death row for 46 years, which ultimately affected him in many aspects, which will be discussed further later.
Current events on this trial?
On September 26, 2024, at the age of 88, Iwao Hakamada was given yet another chance by a new trial granted by the high court, but ultimately, Hakamada was convicted of not guilty.
At this trial, it was said that Hakamadas older sister was present and was seen to be crying profusely as he was announced to be not guilty from relief as she had been fighting back, trying to prove her brother’s innocence from day one.
According to Hakamada’s older sister, because of the amount of time he had spent in prison, he has been affected mentally. According to her, “he now has limited capability of recognizing reality.”
Throughout Iwao Hakamada’s prolonged journey, this case has gained a public following that has endured these trials alongside Hakamada and supported him throughout it all. It was said that after Hakamada was released, a large crowd of his supporters held a large poster while cheering “banzai,” which translates to “hooray,” as the verdict was made.
