A man who spent a record time on death row has finally been freed after prosecutors decided not to appeal his acquittal, bringing closure to a 1966 murder case after more than half a century of legal battles. Iwao Hakamada, an 88-year-old former boxer, was found not guilty in a retrial 58 years after his arrest, with the court citing fabricated evidence and coerced confessions.
The top prosecutors’ decision to not appeal finalizes Hakamada’s acquittal, with his sister expressing relief and Hakamada himself expressing a sense of inevitability. The prosecutor-general apologized for his prolonged legal battle and pledged to investigate the delay in the retrial process.
Hakamada is now entitled to government compensation of up to $1.4 million after spending over 45 years on death row, making him the world’s longest-serving death-row inmate. His case highlights flaws in Japan’s justice system, where prosecutors boast a high conviction rate and retrials are rare. But with this resolution, justice has finally been served after a decades-long fight for freedom.
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