World’s ‘longest serving’ death row inmate wins retrial after 55 years

The world’s longest-serving death row inmate was finally allowed to stand trial again after serving his 50-year prison sentence in solitary confinement on Monday, a former professional boxer.

Iwao Hakamada, 87, was sentenced to death by hanging in 1968 for the murder of a family of four, but later DNA evidence cast serious doubt on his initial conviction. His case will now be re-examined following a decision by Tokyo’s High Court.

His sister Hideko, 90, said, “I have waited for this day for 57 years and it has come.” “Finally a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”

For Hakamada, who spent most of his incarceration facing the daily prospect of execution, the move marks the latest twist in a decades-long legal battle.

On 30 June 1966 police discovered the bodies of Fumio Hashiguchi, the then boss of Hakamada, a miso factory owner, his wife and two teenage children. The family had apparently been robbed before the house was set on fire.

Arrested two months later, Hakamada initially denied the allegations, but later reportedly confessed to what he claimed was a violent police interrogation, which included assault.

He was sentenced to death in 1968, after a Supreme Court hearing in 1980 rejected attempts to recant his “coerced” confession.

After a protracted legal battle, in 2014, a district court in the central city of Shizuoka allowed a retrial after concluding that investigators could have planted evidence.

Four years later, the High Court of Tokyo overturned the lower court’s ruling, resulting in the case being referred to the Supreme Court on appeal. This resulted in judges ruling in 2020 that the Tokyo High Court should reconsider its decision.

Supporters have highlighted how a key piece of evidence used to convict him was a set of blood-stained clothing that came to light more than a year after the crime.

However, the clothes reportedly did not fit her and the bloodstains appeared fresher than a year old. DNA testing also found no link to Hakamada, although the High Court rejected the testing methods.

The protracted legal battle following his prolonged imprisonment has taken a toll on Hakamada’s mental health, his sister told the media on Monday, adding that she does not speak with him about the trial.

“I would just tell him to be calm, because we got a good result,” she said. “Now, I just need to make sure I can see testing start again.”

However, there have been fears that the re-hearing process could take years if special appeals are filed, with some experts urging reforms to the system.

Motoji Kobayashi, president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, said: “We cannot further delay the recovery of Mr. Hakamada, who is 87 years old and suffering from mental and physical conditions after 47 years of physical abstinence.”

Amnesty International also welcomed the latest development as a “long-awaited opportunity to deliver some justice”.

Hakamada has been serving his sentence at home since his release in 2014 because his frail health and age make him a low risk of escape.

Japan and the United States are the only two countries in the Group of Seven advanced nations that retain the death penalty. A survey conducted by the Japanese government showed an overwhelming majority of public support the performance.

Executions in Japan are carried out in secret and prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning of their execution. Since 2007, Japan has begun to disclose the names of those killed and some details of their crimes, but disclosures are still limited.