Latest news with #IwaoHakamada
The Independent
26-03-2025
- The Independent
Boxer on death row for 46 years after he was framed for quadruple murder by police awarded record payout
A former professional boxer who spent 46 years on death row after he was framed for murder by police has been awarded a record £1 million. A Japanese court has awarded Iwao Hakamada more than 200 million yen in compensation, believed to be the highest ever granted in the country for a miscarriage of justice. Hawamada is thought to be the longest serving death row inmate in the world. Now 89 years-old, Hakamada was convicted in 1968 for the murder of his employer, his employer's wife, and their two children in Shizuoka, central Japan. The case relied heavily on a confession he later retracted, claiming it was extracted under duress during intense police interrogations. For decades, he maintained his innocence, insisting that the evidence against him had been fabricated. Mr Hakamada was released from prison in 2014 when a court ordered a retrial based on new evidence suggesting that his conviction may have been based on fabricated accusations. He was then found not guilty on 26 September last year by the Shizuoka court, which concluded that police and prosecutors collaborated in fabricating and planting evidence against him. His sister, Hideko Hakamata, who had campaigned relentlessly for his freedom, revealed that his prolonged incarceration has left him struggling to distinguish between reality and delusion. 'Sometimes he smiles happily, but that's when he's in his delusion,' she told CNN. 'We have not even discussed the trial with Iwao because of his inability to recognise reality.' Hakamada became the fifth death row inmate to be found not guilty in a retrial in postwar Japan, where prosecutors have a more than 99 per cent conviction rate and retrials are extremely rare. Following his acquittal, Japan's Prosecutor-General Naomi Unemoto expressed regret over the prolonged legal battle he faced, saying: 'We feel sorry for putting him in a legally unstable situation for an extremely long time.' The Shizuoka police department also took the rare step of issuing a formal apology, with its chief bowing deeply before Hakamata in acknowledgment of the grave miscarriage of justice. 'We are sorry to have caused you unspeakable mental distress and burden for as long as 58 years from the time of the arrest until the acquittal was finalised,' Shizuoka prefectural police chief Takayoshi Tsuda said, as he stood straight in front of Hakamada and bowed deeply. 'We are terribly sorry.' But Hakamada's legal representative Hideyo Ogawa said the payout was a mere fraction of what he endured. 'I think the state (government) has made a mistake that cannot be atoned for with 200 million yen,' the lawyer said, according to NHK.
Asharq Al-Awsat
25-03-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Japan Awards Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate $1.4 Million
A Japanese man wrongly convicted of murder who was the world's longest-serving death row inmate has been awarded $1.4 million in compensation, an official said Tuesday. The payout represents 12,500 yen ($83) for each day of the more than four decades that Iwao Hakamada spent in detention, most of it on death row when each day could have been his last. The former boxer, now 89, was exonerated last year of a 1966 quadruple murder after a tireless campaign by his sister and others. The Shizuoka District Court, in a decision dated Monday, said that "the claimant shall be granted 217,362,500 yen," a court spokesman told AFP. The same court ruled in September that Hakamada was not guilty in a retrial and that police had tampered with evidence. Hakamada had suffered "inhumane interrogations meant to force a statement (confession)" that he later withdrew, the court said at the time. The final amount is a record for compensation of this kind, local media said. But Hakamada's legal team has said the money falls short of the pain he suffered. Decades of detention -- with the threat of execution constantly looming -- took a major toll on Hakamada's mental health, his lawyers have said, describing him as "living in a world of fantasy". Hakamada was the fifth death row inmate granted a retrial in Japan's post-war history. All four previous cases also resulted in exonerations.
New York Times
25-03-2025
- New York Times
Japanese Court Awards $1.4 Million to Exonerated Man
A Japanese court awarded $1.4 million to a man who spent 44 years on death row for a murder conviction that was later overturned, the country's national broadcaster said. A district court in Shizuoka, a city west of Tokyo on Japan's main island, ordered the government to pay Iwao Hakamada 217 million yen on Monday. Mr. Hakamada, 89, spent 44 years on death row after being convicted of murder for the deaths of four people in 1966. His defense lawyers argued that the police forced a confession and fabricated evidence, earning him a retrial last year that led to his acquittal. He is believed to have been the world's longest-serving death row inmate. The payout, likely the largest in Japan's history for a criminal case, was compensation for the 47-plus years that Mr. Hakamada spent in detention, according to NHK, Japan's national broadcaster. It represents roughly $83 for each day he was detained. Over the years, Mr. Hakamada, a former featherweight boxer, had consistently testified that he pleaded guilty only after the police interrogated him for 20 days, beating him with sticks and depriving him of sleep. He retracted his confession soon after making it. Japan's Supreme Court sentenced him to death in 1980. In 2014, Mr. Hakamada's lawyers won a retrial and his release after testing showed that blood on clothing that the police had used as evidence didn't contain his DNA. After the Shizuoka District Court granted Mr. Hakamada a retrial in 2014, the Tokyo High Court reversed the decision and refused to reopen the case. In 2020, the Supreme Court sided with the district court and ordered a new trial, which ended with his acquittal in September. On Tuesday morning, Hideyo Ogawa, one of Mr. Hakamada's lawyers, told reporters that the payout would only somewhat make up for the hardships he had suffered. 'The country committed a crime against him' Mr. Ogawa said.
Al Bawaba
25-03-2025
- Al Bawaba
Japan awards $1.4M to wrongly convicted prisoner after 46 years in prison
Published March 25th, 2025 - 08:55 GMT ALBAWABA – The Japanese government awarded a man $1.4 million for being wrongly convicted of murder. The man spent nearly 46 years in prison and was recently released. Also Read American man awarded $7M for 48 years of wrongful imprisonment Iwao Hakamada was awarded $1.4M by the Japanese government Iwao Hakamada was convicted of a quadruple murder and spent nearly 46 years in prison. Hakamada was wrongly imprisoned and became the world's longest-serving death row prisoner. He was recently released and awarded $1.4 million by the Japanese government as compensation. According to officials, Hakamada received $83 (12,500 yen) for every day he spent in prison over the 46 years. Hakamada, now 89 years old, was a boxer before his conviction. He was released in 2024 after being proven innocent. This photo taken on September 29, 2024 shows Iwao Hakamada (L) speaking as his then 91-year-old sister Hideko (R) holds the microphone during a judgement report session held by supporters in the city of Shizuoka. (AFP) 'The claimant shall be granted 217,362,500,000 yen,' stated The Shizuoka District Court, according to legal team behind Hakamada believes the compensation amount is not enough, given the conditions he suffered and endured during the 46 years he spent in prison. 'Inhumane interrogations meant to force a statement (confession),' stated the court. Hakamada is severely suffering both physically and mentally, as he endured years of waiting for his execution. Notably, Hakamada is the world's longest-serving death row prisoner, and he ranks fourth among the five individuals who were previously released. Also Read Perplexity plans to acquire TikTok, revealing its strategy © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Al Etihad
25-03-2025
- Al Etihad
Japan awards longest-serving death row inmate $1.4 million
25 Mar 2025 09:41 Tokyo (AFP)A Japanese man wrongly convicted of murder who was the world's longest-serving death row inmate has been awarded $1.4 million in compensation, an official said payout represents 12,500 yen ($83) for each day of the more than four decades that Iwao Hakamada spent in detention, most of it on death row when each day could have been his former boxer, now 89, was exonerated last year of a 1966 quadruple murder after a tireless campaign by his sister and others. The Shizuoka District Court, in a decision dated Monday, said that "the claimant shall be granted 217,362,500 yen," a court spokesman told same court ruled in September that Hakamada was not guilty in a retrial and that police had tampered with had suffered "inhumane interrogations meant to force a statement (confession)" that he later withdrew, the court said at the final amount is a record for compensation of this kind, local media Hakamada's legal team has said the money falls short of the pain he of detention -- with the threat of execution constantly looming -- took a major toll on Hakamada's mental health, his lawyers have said, describing him as "living in a world of fantasy". Hakamada was the fifth death row inmate granted a retrial in Japan's post-war history. All four previous cases also resulted in exonerations.
