Shizuoka, Japan – Japanese prosecutors appealed for the death penalty once again in the retrial of former boxer Iwao Hakamada, the man who held the record for the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner until his release in 2014. Hakamada, now 88, spent an astonishing 46 years on death row after being convicted in 1968 of robbing and murdering his boss, the boss’s wife, and their two teenage children.
Hakamada’s release in 2014 came after a court suggested that investigators may have planted evidence. The news brought relief to his family, supporters, including fellow boxers, and rights group Amnesty International. Despite the retrial, prosecutors continue to argue that Hakamada’s guilt can still be proven “beyond reasonable doubt,” noted the Asahi Shimbun daily.
In a country where capital punishment remains legal and widely supported, Hakamada’s case has garnered significant attention. Advocates for his acquittal argue that his prolonged detention in solitary confinement, coupled with the constant threat of execution, had a severe impact on his mental health. In a 2018 interview with AFP, Hakamada described his daily struggle as if he was “fighting a bout every day.”
Initially, Hakamada denied the charges against him, but he later confessed after what he described as a brutal police interrogation involving beatings. Despite attempts to retract his confession, his original verdict stood until a district court in Shizuoka granted a retrial in 2014 following relentless efforts from his sister, Hideko, now 91.
The legal battle has been ongoing, with Tokyo’s High Court overturning the lower court ruling four years later. In 2020, the Supreme Court ordered a reconsideration, leading to a retrial last year. Throughout this ordeal, Hideko has been a vocal advocate in defense of her brother, who has continuously maintained his innocence.
One of the key pieces of evidence used against Hakamada was a set of blood-stained clothes that surfaced more than a year after the crime. Supporters argue that the clothes did not fit him, and the vividness of the bloodstains raised doubts about their authenticity. Despite growing public sympathy for Hakamada, a 2019 government survey revealed that a mere nine percent of the Japanese population supported abolishing the death penalty.
In Japan, death sentences are carried out through hanging, with 107 prisoners on death row as of December. Inmates are often notified of their impending execution abruptly, sometimes just a few hours before it takes place, or in some cases, with no warning at all, as highlighted by Amnesty International. The retrial for Hakamada is ongoing, with the court expected to announce a verdict in the coming months.