After 47 years on death row, Japanese man awarded record compensation

A district court in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture has ordered the central government to pay a record 217 million yen (approximately $1.44 million) in compensation to 89-year-old Iwao Hakamata, who spent nearly five decades on death row before being declared innocent.

According to Report, which cites Kyodo News, the ruling was issued in response to a lawsuit filed in January. The defense argued that the compensation was for 47 years of wrongful imprisonment from his arrest to his release.

Hakamata was arrested in 1966 for allegedly robbing and murdering his boss, the boss's wife, and their two children. After 20 days of intense interrogation, he confessed but later retracted his statement, claiming it was forced under torture.

In 2014, a court in Shizuoka ruled that Hakamata’s DNA did not match the blood found at the crime scene, leading to his provisional release. However, in 2023, the Tokyo High Court upheld lower court rulings calling for a retrial.

During the retrial in September 2024, the Shizuoka District Court fully acquitted Hakamata, citing three instances of fabricated evidence. The ruling condemned law enforcement for:

Coercing a false confession under inhumane interrogations.

Falsifying a piece of fabric claimed to be from Hakamata’s trousers.

Presenting bloodstained clothing as evidence, despite the unnatural preservation of bright red blood after a year in a miso paste tank.

A month later, in October 2024, prosecutors decided not to appeal, making Hakamata's acquittal final.