Rewritten Article:
In a historic decision that has shocked the nation, an 88-year-old former boxer in Japan has been acquitted in a retrial for a 1966 quadruple murder case. Iwao Hakamada, who spent 48 years behind bars, most of them on death row, has finally been declared not guilty by the Shizuoka District Court after decades of fighting to prove his innocence. This ruling marks the fifth time a death-row convict has been found not guilty in postwar Japanese criminal justice history, raising questions about the effectiveness and reliability of the legal system in the country.
The case of Iwao Hakamada has reignited the debate surrounding the death penalty in Japan, with many calling for its abolition in light of wrongful convictions like his. Hakamada was originally convicted of the 1966 killing of a company manager and three of his family members, along with setting fire to their home in central Japan. Despite being sentenced to death in 1968, Hakamada’s execution was postponed due to lengthy appeals and the retrial process that eventually led to his acquittal.
During the retrial, the presiding judge, Koshi Kunii, acknowledged the multiple fabrications of evidence that had been presented in the original trial, leading to Hakamada being wrongfully convicted. This revelation has shed light on the flaws and injustices that can occur within the Japanese legal system, prompting calls for reform and stricter safeguards to prevent similar miscarriages of justice in the future.
Hakamada’s case has been a long and arduous battle for both him and his family, particularly his sister Hideko Hakamada, who has tirelessly fought for his innocence for decades. Hideko, now 91 years old, filed the second appeal for a retrial in 2008, leading to the court’s favorable ruling in 2023 that set the stage for the latest retrial that began in October. Her unwavering dedication to proving her brother’s innocence has been a driving force behind the pursuit of justice in this case.
One of the key points of contention in Hakamada’s case was the alleged blood-stained clothing that investigators claimed he had worn during the crime, which was later found in a tank of fermented soybean paste. However, scientific experiments conducted during the retrial cast doubt on the validity of this evidence, as the bloodstains were deemed too dark to be accurately identified after being soaked in miso for over a year. Furthermore, DNA evidence did not match Hakamada’s genetic profile, and the trousers submitted by prosecutors as evidence were too small to fit him, raising serious doubts about the validity of the accusations against him.
The emotional toll of Hakamada’s nearly half-century detention has been immense, with most of his time behind bars spent in solitary confinement and constant fear of execution. His sister, Hideko, has expressed the challenges of navigating the legal system to secure a retrial, emphasizing the need for reforms that would make retrials more accessible to those who have been wrongfully accused. She has dedicated her life to fighting for her brother’s innocence, a battle that has spanned generations and brought to light the flaws in the Japanese criminal justice system.
Despite the overwhelming public support for the death penalty in Japan, Hakamada’s case has sparked discussions about the need for transparency and accountability in the legal system. The secrecy surrounding executions and limited disclosures of information have raised concerns about the fairness and reliability of capital punishment in the country. With calls for reforms and revisions to the criminal law to ensure that retrials are more readily available, Hakamada’s case serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of upholding justice and protecting the rights of the accused.
