An 88-year-old Hakamada Iwao, the world's longest death row inmate, has been acquitted by a Japanese court in the murder case of a family of four.
In 1968, Hakamada was found guilty of killing his boss, the man's wife and their two teenage children. As he awaited his possible execution for 56 years, is case has become one of Japan's most famous and longest legal epics.
The main point of convention in his case was that evidence might have been planted against him. A court in 2014 had granted Hakamada a retrial, which actually began only in October last year, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
From October 2023 to now, a total of 15 hearings have been held in this case. As the Shizuoka District Court handed its verdict, Hakamada's supporters rejoiced in happiness and cheered "banzai", meaning "hurray".
The former professional boxer is the fifth death-row convict who has been found not guilty in a retrial in post-war Japanese criminal justice. The last such ruling was reportedly made 35 years ago.
Notably, Hakamada was not present in court as he had been exempted from all the hearings in view of his mental health condition. Since 2014, when he was freed from jail and granted a retrial, he has been living under the care of his sister.
What Happened In 1966?
Hakamada was working at a miso soybean paste processing plant in 1966 when the bodies of the four people -- his boss and family -- were found from a fire at their home in Shizouka, situated in west of Tokyo, and all of them had been stabbed to death.
Hakamada was then accused of murder, arson (setting fire to the family's home), and stealing 200,000 Yen in cash.
Initially Hakamada had denied committing the crimes but, later he gave what was termed to be a coerced confession. He had been beaten up and interrogated for around 12 hours a day, BBC reported.
Then in 1968, Hakamada was convicted of murder and arson, with the court giving him a death sentence.
The Turning Point
The main contention in the case are some bloodstained clothes that were found buried in a miso tank 14 months after the incident. This clothing was used as evidence against Hakamada.
With the addition of this evidence to Hakamada's forced confession, the former boxer went on to spend decades in prison awaiting his day to be hanged.
The case took a turn when a DNA test of the clothing revealed that the blood found on them neither matched with Hakamada's nor with the victims. It was then that the district court ordered a retrial of the case in 2014.
Judge Hiroaki Murayama at the time had noted that "the clothes were not those of the defendant", adding that "it is unjust to detain the defendant further, as the possibility of his innocence has become clear to a respectable degree".
Hakamada was then released from jail, awaiting the approval for his retrial.
The Retrial
However, the Tokyo High Court had for unknown reasons dismissed the request for a retrial. In 2023, on the orders from Japan's Supreme Court, the High Court agreed to grant Hakamada a second chance at trial.
During this trial, Defence lawyers said that forensic analysis conducted by experts also found that clothes would not retain a red tint after being buried under miso paste for more than one year, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
Judge Kunii Tsuneishi of the Shizouka District Court not only pronounced Hakamada to be innocent but also ruled that the blood stained clothing -- used to convict the former boxer -- was planted long after the murders took place.
"The court cannot accept the fact that the blood stain would remain reddish if it had been soaked in miso for more than a year. The bloodstains were processed and hidden in the tank by the investigating authorities after a considerable period of time since the incident," Tsuneishi was quoted by CNN.
"Mr Hakamada cannot be considered the criminal," he added.
The 91-year-old sister of Hakamada, Hikedo, under whose care he has been living said that the good news of his release is likely to not be comprehended by him.
His mental health has deteriorated and he's "living in his own world", Hideko told CNN, adding that he almost never speaks, and does not take interest in any other people.
Hikedo said that the retrial of the case has not been discussed with Hakamada as he cannot recognise the reality.
The longest-serving death row inmate is now a free man.
