Latest news with #Hideko
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Hakamata's sister asks for review of Japan's retrial system
The sister of Iwao Hakamata, a former boxer who was acquitted of murder charges after spending decades on death row, is seeking an overhaul of Japan's retrial system to prevent similar miscarriages of justice. Hideko Hakamata, 92, sister of Iwao, 89, who was acquitted last year in a retrial, called for an urgent revision of the law to legal and prosectural officials at a meeting on May 30. The Legislative Council subcommittee, an advisory body to the justice minister, is considering a review of the retrial system. It held the meeting to hear from Hideko, along with Iwao's lawyer and others. 'As a human being, would you consider the fact that Iwao worked so hard for 47 years and seven months?' Hideko asked the subcommittee members. Iwao was arrested and indicted in 1966 for the murder of four members of the family of the managing director of a miso manufacturing company in Shizuoka Prefecture. In 1980, the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence for robbery and murder. The following year, he began his legal fight for a new trial. In 2010, during the second retrial request, color photographs of 'five articles of blooodstained clothing' were included in the disclosed evidence. The photographs subsequently became a major point of contention showing the evidence was likely fabricated at the start of his retrial and acquittal. At this point, however, 29 years had elapsed since the first request for a retrial. 'If (the photographs) had been disclosed sooner, Iwao's suffering would have been shortened,' Hideko said. 'There should be no such thing as hiding what evidence exists. And moreover, it is a matter of a human life.' The Code of Criminal Procedure, which sets forth the procedures for criminal trials, has 509 articles, but only 19 of these relate to retrials. There are no rules on the disclosure of evidence and problems with 'retrial disparity,' which depend on the attitude of the judge in charge of the case, have been pointed out. In Iwao's case, it took 42 years from the first request for a retrial to the decision to initiate a retrial. One of the reasons for the lengthy proceedings was the lack of procedural rules, such as the designation of a date for the retrial. Hideko spoke for Iwao, whose mental illness from his long years of incarceration have made it difficult for him to communicate with her. 'For a long time, it was a struggle against an invisible power," she told the subcommittee. '(We) didn't know who (we) were fighting or for how long. My brother was arrested at the age of 30 and his whole life was ruined. What was the government doing during this time?' She added: 'There is no doubt that the law is inadequate. If what Iwao has struggled with for so long can at least be useful in the form of a revision of the law, I couldn't be happier.'
Saudi Gazette
25-03-2025
- Saudi Gazette
'Record' payout for world's longest-serving death row inmate
TOKYO — A Japanese man who spent nearly 50 years on death row before he was acquitted of murder will be compensated 217 million yen ($1.45m), in what his lawyers say is the country's largest-ever payout in a criminal case. Iwao Hakamata, 89, was found guilty in 1968 of killing his boss, his boss's wife and their two children, but was acquitted last year after a retrial. Hakamata's lawyers had sought the highest compensation possible, arguing that the 47 years in detention — which made him the world's longest-serving death row inmate — took a toll on his mental health. Judge Kunii Koshi, who granted the request on Monday, agreed that he had suffered "extremely severe" mental and physical pain. The Japanese government will pay Hakamata's financial compensation, in what local media is widely reporting as the biggest payout for a criminal case in the country's history. Hakamata's case is one of Japan's longest and most famous legal was granted a rare retrial and released from prison in 2014, amid suspicions that investigators may have planted evidence that led to his September, hundreds of people gathered at a court in Shizuoka, a city on Japan's south coast, where a judge handed down the acquittal — to loud cheers of "banzai", or "hurray" in however, was unfit to attend the hearing. He was exempted from all prior hearings because of his deteriorated mental had lived under the care of his 91-year-old sister Hideko since being granted a retrial and released from prison in 2014. Hideko had fought for decades to clear her brother's was working at a miso processing plant in 1966 when the bodies of his boss, his boss' wife and their two children were recovered from a fire at their home in Shizuoka, west of Tokyo. All four had been stabbed to accused Hakamata of murdering the family, setting fire to their home and stealing 200,000 yen in initially denied doing so, but later gave what he came to describe as a coerced confession, following beatings and interrogations that lasted up to 12 hours a 1968 he was sentenced to years, Hakamata's lawyers had argued that DNA recovered from the victims' clothes did not match his, and alleged that the evidence was he was granted a retrial in 2014, prolonged legal proceedings meant it took until last October for the retrial to case has raised questions about Japan's justice system, including the time taken for a retrial and the allegations of forced confessions. — BBC
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
'Record' payout for world's longest-serving death row inmate
A Japanese man who spent nearly 50 years on death row before he was acquitted of murder will be compensated 217 million yen ($1.45m), in what his lawyers say is the country's largest-ever payout in a criminal case. Iwao Hakamata, 89, was found guilty in 1968 of killing his boss, his boss's wife and their two children, but was acquitted last year after a retrial. Mr Hakamata's lawyers had sought the highest compensation possible, arguing that the 47 years in detention - which made him the world's longest-serving death row inmate - took a toll on his mental health. Judge Kunii Koshi, who granted the request on Monday, agreed that he had suffered "extremely severe" mental and physical pain. The Japanese government will pay Mr Hakamata's financial compensation, in what local media is widely reporting as the biggest payout for a criminal case in the country's history. Mr Hakamata's case is one of Japan's longest and most famous legal sagas. He was granted a rare retrial and released from prison in 2014, amid suspicions that investigators may have planted evidence that led to his conviction. Last September, hundreds of people gathered at a court in Shizuoka, a city on Japan's south coast, where a judge handed down the acquittal - to loud cheers of "banzai", or "hurray" in Japanese. Mr Hakamata, however, was unfit to attend the hearing. He was exempted from all prior hearings because of his deteriorated mental state. He had lived under the care of his 91-year-old sister Hideko since being granted a retrial and released from prison in 2014. Hideko had fought for decades to clear her brother's name. One woman's 56-year fight to free her innocent brother from death sentence Mr Hakamata was working at a miso processing plant in 1966 when the bodies of his boss, his boss' wife and their two children were recovered from a fire at their home in Shizuoka, west of Tokyo. All four had been stabbed to death. Authorities accused Mr Hakamata of murdering the family, setting fire to their home and stealing 200,000 yen in cash. Mr Hakamata initially denied doing so, but later gave what he came to describe as a coerced confession, following beatings and interrogations that lasted up to 12 hours a day. In 1968 he was sentenced to death. For years, Mr Hakamata's lawyers had argued that DNA recovered from the victims' clothes did not match his, and alleged that the evidence was planted. Although he was granted a retrial in 2014, prolonged legal proceedings meant it took until last October for the retrial to begin. The case has raised questions about Japan's justice system, including the time taken for a retrial and the allegations of forced confessions. Additional reporting by Chika Nakayama, Gavin Butler and Shaimaa Khalil World's longest-serving death row inmate acquitted in Japan
BBC News
25-03-2025
- BBC News
Japan: 'Record' payout for world's longest-serving death row inmate
A Japanese man who spent nearly 50 years on death row before he was acquitted of murder will be compensated 217 million yen ($1.45m), in what his lawyers say is the country's largest-ever payout in a criminal Hakamata, 89, was found guilty in 1968 of killing his boss, his boss's wife and their two children, but was acquitted last year after a Hakamata's lawyers had sought the highest compensation possible, arguing that the 47 years in detention - which made him the world's longest-serving death row inmate - took a toll on his mental health. Judge Kunii Koshi, who granted the request on Monday, agreed that he had suffered "extremely severe" mental and physical pain. The Japanese government will pay Mr Hakamata's financial compensation, in what local media is widely reporting as the biggest payout for a criminal case in the country's Hakamata's case is one of Japan's longest and most famous legal sagas. He was granted a rare retrial and released from prison in 2014, amid suspicions that investigators may have planted evidence that led to his September, hundreds of people gathered at a court in Shizuoka, a city on Japan's south coast, where a judge handed down the acquittal - to loud cheers of "banzai", or "hurray" in Japanese. Mr Hakamata, however, was unfit to attend the hearing. He was exempted from all prior hearings because of his deteriorated mental had lived under the care of his 91-year-old sister Hideko since being granted a retrial and released from prison in 2014. Hideko had fought for decades to clear her brother's name. Mr Hakamata was working at a miso processing plant in 1966 when the bodies of his boss, his boss' wife and their two children were recovered from a fire at their home in Shizuoka, west of Tokyo. All four had been stabbed to accused Mr Hakamata of murdering the family, setting fire to their home and stealing 200,000 yen in Hakamata initially denied doing so, but later gave what he came to describe as a coerced confession, following beatings and interrogations that lasted up to 12 hours a 1968 he was sentenced to years, Mr Hakamata's lawyers had argued that DNA recovered from the victims' clothes did not match his, and alleged that the evidence was he was granted a retrial in 2014, prolonged legal proceedings meant it took until last October for the retrial to case has raised questions about Japan's justice system, including the time taken for a retrial and the allegations of forced confessions. Additional reporting by Chika Nakayama, Gavin Butler and Shaimaa Khalil
