'Record' compensation for man who waited the longest on death row

Iwao Hakamata (89) was found guilty in 1968 of murdering his boss, his wife and their two children. He was acquitted last year after a retrial.

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Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

A Japanese man who was unjustly imprisoned for almost 50 years awaiting the death penalty, who has been released, will be paid 1,30 million euros.

It is the largest compensation paid in Japan in a criminal case, his lawyers say.

Iwao Hakamata (89) was found guilty in 1968 of murdering his boss, his wife and their two children.

He was acquitted of the charges last year after a retrial.

Hakamata's lawyers sought the highest possible damages, arguing that 47 years in prison - making him the longest-serving death row inmate - had affected his mental health.

Judge Kuni Koshi, who granted the request on Monday, agreed that Hakamata had suffered severe mental and physical pain.

The Japanese government will pay compensation to Hakamata, which, according to local media, is the largest payout for a criminal case in the country's history.

The Hakamate case is one of the longest and most famous legal sagas in Japan.

He was granted a retrial and released from prison in 2014, amid suspicions that investigators had planted evidence that led to the conviction.

In September 2024, hundreds of people gathered outside a court in Shizuoka, a city on the southern coast of Japan, where a judge handed down an acquittal.

Upon hearing the verdict, the crowd shouted "banzai" ("hurray" in Japanese).

However, Hakamata was unable to attend the trial.

He was not present at previous hearings due to his deteriorating mental condition.

Since he was granted a retrial and released from prison in 2014, he has been cared for by his 91-year-old sister Hideko.

She fought for decades to prove her brother's innocence.

Hakamata was working at a miso processing factory in 1966 when bodies were pulled from a fire at their home in Shizuoka, west of Tokyo.

All four had previously been stabbed to death.

Authorities accused Hakamata of killing the family, burning down their house and stealing 200.000 yen (1.225 euros) in cash.

Hakamata initially denied it, but later gave what he described as a forced confession, saying he was beaten and interrogated for up to 12 hours a day.

He was sentenced to death in 1968.

Hakamata's lawyers have argued for years that DNA taken from the victims' clothing did not match his and that the evidence was planted.

Although he was granted a retrial in 2014, the extended court process meant that the retrial was due to begin by last fall.

The case has raised questions about the Japanese justice system, including the timing of retrials and allegations of forced confessions.

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