Japan Pays $1.4 Million to Man Wrongfully Imprisoned on Death Row for 45 Years
Iwao Hakamata, a former professional boxer, was awarded over $1.4 million in compensation after spending 40 years on death row for a quadruple murder he did not commit. His 1968 conviction was overturned last year following DNA evidence proving the incriminating bloodstained clothing was planted. The Shizuoka District Court’s decision marks the highest payout ever for a wrongful conviction in Japan, though his lawyer stated the sum cannot atone for his suffering. Hakamata’s case has drawn international attention to Japan’s justice system and fueled calls for death penalty abolition.
John Q. Hosedrinker