Japan prosecutors won't appeal Hakamada death row acquittal

That is great news for Hakamada and his sister—the end of an eternal road of torture and suffering. Clears the way for compensation claims.

The court found that police had daubed blood on clothes that were then planted to be found at the crime scene.

Right! Now let's find out which police did it and nail them! There must be records of the arresting officers.

Hakama got acquittal 58 years later. It is said that he gets the national and justice compensation about 200 million yen. But this would not make him happy. He may be not able to understand he is acquitted finally.

Up to 17 hours straight of interrogation days on end to extract a confession and then planting new evidence to get the conviction. So while the prosecutors were barking up the wrong tree, I'm sure it got to the point where they saw their own flawed methods and evidence. Then it became a matter of saving face, which was evident in Unemoto's statement. So who committed the crime?

Ok sure. But what of the POLICE that fabricated the evidence???

Last night on TV many comments about the shame of Japanese justice toward the world and the relieve for this man who suffered so much.

I am glad for him but for sure there are many more innocents. And our taxes are financing the non-justice system....

A rare use of common sense, too old, too long ago. Put it to rest.

I am glad they didn't appeal, but this is still a scandal of huge proportions. It may be a faint hope, but this really has to lead to some major reforms of the japanese justice system.

He will get 12,000 yen for every day he was in prison.

Sadly, he won't get to spend most of it, and no amount of money can make up for years stolen from him....

The court found that police had daubed blood on clothes that were then planted to be found at the crime scene.

Arrests of the police for fraud and endangerment?

Prosecutions, fines and disbarments of the prosecutors and judges who were well aware of the tampered evidence?

Didn't think so. Move along, nothing to see here.

Nice but transparent spin by prosecutors: we should be appealing because "the ruling is absolutely unacceptable" but, out of humanitarian considerations, we won't. I guess they hope to manage to kid enough of the don't-cares and oblivious that they didn't really fabricate the evidence or rough Hakamada up during questioning.

danToday  09:30 am JST

The officers who fabricated the evidence if still alive should be jailed.

That's the thing - there's maybe no one still alive to prosecute.

she also said prosecutors were "deeply dissatisfied" that the Shizuoka tribunal had found that evidence had been fabricated, calling the conclusion logically flawed. Haha, oh dear this woman is delusional, she's not fit for office. Can't you see or admit that your office is the wrong, this case should have been over turned on DNA tests years ago, yet you still have this closed mindset that he's in the wrong. She added that she hopes her aging brother will "live a bit longer" now that he is exonerated. "We just wish we can live an ordinary, quiet life. Unfortunately I can't see this happening, I am sure his mental state can't cope with being banged up for years and then just being released into the 21 century, I am sure he is going to have anxiety issues, and possibly anger issues with the state over his incorrect imprisonment, the dept should be paying for any medical treatment and other mental and physical health issues this guy has, as for the clowns at the top of the prossicution service head need to roll, there need to be a investigation on what went wrong and find out who was responsible, although as time has gone on they are probably have passed away. I wish this guy all of the best, and congratulations to his sister for fighting his case and standing by him for all of the years, she should get a medal of some discription

I guess deciding to not appeal is the closest thing that you will get from a system unable and unwilling to admit fault, like ever. It’s as if the sky will fall in if they do, and that’s the mindset of many a system in a collectivist society. The collective simply cannot be wrong.

Geeter MckluskieToday  12:53 pm JST

Remarkable that people keep thumbing down my comment regarding evidence of police tampering...while neglecting to provide the "evidence of tampering" details that I asked for. "The court said so" is not evidence.

I imagine the court said so after thoroughly going over all the available details and evidence. Can you provide evidence that exonerates the police? They clearly can't or else they surely would.

Japanese authorities have no self-cleaning ability anymore.

They have repeated fabricating evidence also just several years before.

Police officers or prosecutors who caused false conviction haven't been punished at all in this country, unfortunately.

The court found that police had daubed blood on clothes that were then planted to be found at the crime scene.

Can someone please confirm this statement with an exact quote from the court proceedings. If true, that's a crime. Why has no one been charged?

I think this is a case of sloppy reporting. "unable to determine whether or not those clothes belonged to Hakamada because the DNA of the blood samples didn't match his" is not the same as "police daubed blood on clothes". Also, the blood was used to sample the DNA...How is it that the blood of the victims not matching the DNA of Hakamada, proof that Hakamada didn't kill those people? Odd

Ok sure. But what of the POLICE that fabricated the evidence???

Exactly! The public needs to know what evidence the court has to draw the conclusion that "police daubed blood on the clothes that were then planted to be found at the crime scene."

You can't just malign the police like that without providing proof of that accusation. The police are charged with protecting the public and upholding the law! If they had, in fact, fabricated evidence they need to be held accountable by the very law they are charged with upholding!

Japanese prosecutors most value own face, not human rights or lives of citizen.

I suppose they could try to speed up the process of executing the convicted to avoid these embarrassing situations in the future.

The officers who fabricated the evidence if still alive should be jailed.

The Japanese justice system is a disgrace!!

Poor bloke lingering on death row for decades in solitary .... absolute miscarriage of justice on a grandiose scale!!

He should be given a massive pay out at least to compensate for it but it won't happen not here in this place.

Present Japan's attorney general Unemoto who overlooked most of slush fundraising politicians to get present position still deny fabrication of evidences, no even one word of apology to victim of false accusation shamelessly, and continues trivializing criminals of powers.

It's so difficult to restore such corrupted state system.

Police officers or prosecutors who caused false conviction haven't been punished at all in this country, unfortunately.

What evidence is there that evidence had been tampered with? OJ Simpson also got off on the same grounds..."the glove didn't fit" and "LA cops are racist" therefore they tampered with the evidence. So, the clothes weren't Hakamada's size and the blood on the clothes weren't his. What does that mean? One would think the blood was that of the victims, not the perpetrator...and perhaps Hakamada wasn't the perpetrator, meaning why would the clothes fit him? That doesn't mean the police "daubed blood on the clothes" as the article above claims. There is zero evidence to substantiate that claim...zero, other than the blood was "bright red"...which it wasn't (there are photos online) and the blood wasn't Hakamada's...why would it be unless he was injured in the struggle, in which case he'd have a cut. Why are the details of this case so minimal? How much money did Hakamada have on him when he was arrested, did he have an injury consistent with the struggle, etc. None of these details are provided in any articles, Japanese nor English. Why are the news outlets being so secretive about ALL of the details regarding the prosecutions case? Odd

Can you provide evidence that exonerates the police? They clearly can't or else they surely would.

The police haven't been charged.

According to Japan's top prosecutor Naomi Unemoto, there certainly is uncertainty about whether or not the evidence had been tampered with.

prosecutors were "deeply dissatisfied" that the Shizuoka tribunal had found that evidence had been fabricated, calling the conclusion logically flawed.

The court in Shizuoka, outside Tokyo, ruled that police tampered with evidence and said the ex-boxer had suffered "inhumane interrogations meant to force a statement" that he later withdrew.

The court found that police had daubed blood on clothes that were then planted to be found at the crime scene.

Wow! This is the kind of thing that you expect to hear in a banana republic.

 prosecutors were "deeply dissatisfied" that the Shizuoka tribunal had found that evidence had been fabricated, calling the conclusion logically flawed.

What I'd like to know is what evidence is there that the evidence had been fabricated. All I can find in newspaper reports is that the colour of the blood has been in question...and the blood sample taken from the clothes didn't match the DNA of Hakamada. If the court has levelled a charge of tampering evidence...shouldn't charges be laid? Odd...

Even police corruption here seems way behind that of civilized countries

I imagine the court said so after thoroughly going over all the available details and evidence. Can you provide evidence that exonerates the police? They clearly can't or else they surely would.

I've read the newspapers, in Japanese. I've found nothing which verifies that police fabricated the evidence besides defence lawyers accusations. If the courts have determined that police fabricated the evidence in order to put a man to death...then why haven't those who committed that crime been charged? That's my question. There seems nothing presented as verifying that the evidence has been tampered other than the colour of the blood being "too bright", the clothes being "the wrong size" and the "blood of the victims not containing the DNA of Hakamada". That's entirely different from "the police daubed the clothes with blood"

Japan and the United States are the only two major industrialized countries that still use capital punishment.

What people would usually call as backward nation

Remarkable that people keep thumbing down my comment regarding evidence of police tampering...while neglecting to provide the "evidence of tampering" details that I asked for. "The court said so" is not evidence

were "deeply dissatisfied" that the Shizuoka tribunal had found that evidence had been fabricated, calling the conclusion logically flawed.

Here's another flawed things in Japan, long interrogation without any recording, that lead to false confession.

"We have decided, after thorough consideration, that it is not appropriate to prolong this situation," Unemoto said.

However, she also said prosecutors were "deeply dissatisfied" that the Shizuoka tribunal had found that evidence had been fabricated, calling the conclusion logically flawed.

So they are just sorry that they can not continue this and it pollutes their near 100% conviction recorder. Sad.

Such a big headache this case has caused. Other countries like mine he could have been just shot in some back alley to get it over with quickly., maybe in broad daylight too

Ok sure. But what of the POLICE that fabricated the evidence???

If they're still around, I'm sure they have Reflected Profoundly on their conduct and will be calling a press conference where they will, like, bow really deeply for at least five seconds.

So they are just sorry that they can not continue this and it pollutes their near 100% conviction recorder. Sad.

I'm sure it's not that hard to doctor a fax to bring that figure back up.

evidence had been fabricated

Japanese style, it is not the first time, it is always like this.

even interrogation report are fabricated as I expected.

the judges did not work in good faith and were accomplice for sure with the prosecutors .

This case shows the rotten level of justice in this country destroying life of innocent people to cover the truth.

Unacceptable!!!

*The court in Shizuoka, outside Tokyo, ruled that police tampered with evidence and said *the ex-boxer had suffered "inhumane interrogations meant to force a statement" that he later withdrew.

A representative from the police agency commented: "um, that's our job, what's the deal?"

"We have decided, after thorough consideration, that it is not appropriate to prolong this situation,"

Really? It will cost perfect conviction rate score from 99% to 98%.