A Japanese court has awarded $1.4 million in compensation to Iwao Hakamada, a former boxer who spent over four decades on death row after being wrongfully convicted of a 1966 quadruple murder.
Hakamada, now 89, received 217.3 million yen ($1.44 million) from the Shizuoka District Court, marking the highest compensation payout of its kind in Japan, according to local media reports. The amount translates to 12,500 yen ($83) for each day he spent behind bars.
Exonerated in 2023 after years of campaigning by his sister and supporters, Hakamada’s case highlighted concerns over Japan’s criminal justice system, where retrials are rare, and executions are carried out with minimal notice. His conviction was overturned after the court ruled that police had fabricated evidence and subjected him to “inhumane interrogations” to extract a confession, which he later retracted.
While his legal team welcomed the compensation, they argued it was inadequate given the decades of psychological trauma he endured.
“While it provides some relief, no amount can truly compensate for 47 years of suffering,” lawyer Hideyo Ogawa said.
Hakamada’s wrongful conviction stemmed from allegations that he robbed and murdered his boss, the man’s wife, and their two children. Though he initially denied the charges, authorities claimed he later confessed. A year after the crime, police presented blood-stained clothing as key evidence—evidence later deemed to have been planted.
The prolonged time on death row has significantly impacted Hakamada’s mental health, with his lawyers describing him as “living in a world of fantasy.” Now residing with his sister, he continues to receive support from activists and legal advocates.
Hakamada is the fifth death row inmate in post-war Japan to be granted a retrial, with all previous cases ending in exoneration. Despite calls for reform, Japan remains one of the few industrialized nations to retain capital punishment, a policy that continues to receive broad public support.
