Official records from the Japanese National Diet

Japan Acquits Iwao Hakamada, Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate, in 1966 Quadruple Murder

Sep 26, 2024, 08:52 AM

Iwao Hakamada, an 88-year-old former professional boxer, has been acquitted by the Shizuoka District Court in Japan for a 1966 quadruple murder, making him the world's longest-serving death row inmate to be exonerated. Hakamada was initially convicted and sentenced to death in 1968 for the robbery and murder of a family of four in Shizuoka Prefecture. After spending 46 years on death row and a further decade awaiting retrial, the court ruled that the evidence against him had been fabricated by investigators. This landmark decision has drawn significant attention to Japan's judicial system and its use of capital punishment.