Japan ยท Shizuoka Prefecture
Iwao Hakamada: wrongly convicted, exonerated
Convicted of Murder of four people in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1966.
Convicted1968
SentenceDeath, finalised in 1980
Years in prison47
Exonerated26 September 2024
How the conviction was overturnedAcquitted at retrial after the court found the blood stained clothing used to convict him had been fabricated, Shizuoka District Court1,2
What went wrong
- Fabricated evidence, with the court ruling the blood stained clothing was planted long after the murders
- A confession he retracted, which he said followed 20 days of interrogation during which he alleged police beat him
From conviction to exoneration
- Sentenced to death by a three judge panel in a 2 to 1 decision.1
- The death sentence became final.1,2
- Released after the Shizuoka District Court granted a retrial, taking account of his age and mental state.1,2
- Acquitted at retrial by the Shizuoka District Court, and the acquittal became final the following month when prosecutors did not appeal.1,2
- Awarded about 217 million yen in criminal compensation, a record in Japan according to reports, for about 47 years of detention.1,2
Compensation
About 217 million yen (about 1.4 million US dollars) in criminal compensation, awarded on 24 March 2025
Today
Acquitted in September 2024 with the acquittal final, and awarded compensation in March 2025.
Sources
- Death Penalty Information Center, Japanese Exoneree Awarded $1.4 Million in Compensation After Spending 46 Years on Death Row (2 April 2025)
- Jiji Press (via Nippon.com), Hakamata Gets 217 M. Yen in Compensation after Acquittal (25 March 2025)