Japan court acquits world’s longest-serving death row inmate in 1966 murder retrial
Iwao Hakamada had been on death row for decades after being convicted of killing his boss, the man’s wife and their two children
The world’s longest-serving death row prisoner was acquitted by a Japanese court on Thursday, more than half a century after his 1968 murder conviction.
“The court finds the defendant innocent,” judge Koshi Kunii said.
Hakamada’s health is delicate and he was not present in court, but his 91-year-old sister Hideko, who often speaks for him, bowed deeply to Kunii several times.
Until he was freed in 2014 pending retrial, Hakamada had been on death row for 46 years after being convicted of killing his boss, the man’s wife and their two teenage children.
But over the years, questions arose over fabricated evidence and coerced confessions, sparking scrutiny of Japan’s justice system, which critics say holds suspects “hostage”.