Court acquits 88-year-old man in landmark 1966 quadruple murder retrial

If in fact the prosecution had planted this evidence, what justice can bring back the years of life that he has lost?

Happy that he can finally get some peace after this unreal ordeal. They should name the prosecutors who pushed for this retrial instead of going along with the Supreme Court's ruling.

One thing which terrifies me about living in Japan is being arrested for something I didn't do. There's no pursuit of truth here; it's just about ticking boxes and getting a conviction.

Whole system needs an overhaul.

The unbelievably high level of "successful" convictions should be enough to raise questions.

One thing which terrifies me about living in Japan is being arrested for something I didn't do. There's no pursuit of truth here; it's just about ticking boxes and getting a conviction.

I'm not a fan of police but that said Japanese police are no better or worse than any other country .

I would suggest your worrying about nothing

-1( +2 / -3 )

the Tokyo High Court ruled in March last year that there was a strong possibility that [the evidence] had been planted by investigators

It’s a genuine shame that the crooked investigators likely lived free, pleasurable lives funded by our taxes after their unscrupulous behavior.

And I doubt this was their first or their last deception.

I hope the prosecutors won't appeal the decision, but Japanese cynicism knows no limits. So I bet they will.

If in fact the prosecution had planted this evidence, what justice can bring back the years of life that he has lost?

The usual.

申し訳ございません

(bow deeply, count to ten, raise your head, consider yourself absolved).

Mr. Hakamata deserves one giant reparation check for 46 years of wrongful incarceration.

56 years on death row, every day could be your last, if a fait worse than death could be inflicted on one human being to another, Iwao Hakamata has endured such a cruelty.

This is inhuman, unspeakable mental anguish. unthinkable distress seemingly without end, year in year out.

Is there any compensatory package, monetary value to restore Iwao Hakamata mind, or his life back?

Humanity won in spite of justice delayed. The wretches who fitted him up have already left the building and the unjust and miserly Japanese state will likely refuse him the monetary compensation he deserves for robbing him of a life. So may he enjoy the remaining years of his life with peace of mind, a rare commodity more valuable than gold.

46 years, 46! Can you believe it? Poor fella done up like a kipper by those demonic police and prosecutors. Well, there’s a lot of problems with the justice system in Japan isn’t there.

There is another appalling injustice the real murderer evaded justice.

Put simply "Acquitted!"

Justice is served.

How do they compensate for more than 40 years on death row? Loss of earnings, mental torture. The list is long.

The case should end today.

He can die knowing the truth prevailed.

The real murderer will not serve justice and may not even be still alive.

Strong case and reason to abolish the death penalty. But they won't.

@David Brent

One thing which terrifies me about living in Japan is being arrested for something I didn't do. There's no pursuit of truth here; it's just about ticking boxes and getting a conviction.

I think everyone in Japan shares this fear to some extent.

But have you ever considered that this fear is also part of what keeps the crime rate so low? When people are scared that they might easily be swept up by the police or wrongly accused, they go out of their way to avoid even the appearance of doing anything illegal. They shun anyone and anything associated with criminal activity. For better or worse it's a form of detterence.

Correction, apologies, 46 years on death row, can't help being overly emotional.

I wonder if the most expert psychotherapists, if that is the correct field can provide some quality of life to Iwao Hakamata few remaining years?

Iwao Hakamata's mind was shot decades ago from a very restrict regime on death row. He lives in his own little bubble that kept him alive these decades.

M3, a lawyer friend suggested the other day, a prolonged interrogation from a J prosecutor, some times over days/weeks possibly without periods of sleep/rest, and I would admit to stealing the crown jewels.

This is fantastic news. I want to see those prosecutors making long, low, humiliating bows on national television and making donations to Mr. Hakamada so that he can live out his remaining years in luxury. I can only imagine the flashbacks and nightmares that he is guaranteed to face even sleeping in his own bed.

@itsonlyrocknroll

M3, a lawyer friend suggested the other day, a prolonged interrogation from a J prosecutor, some times over days/weeks possibly without periods of sleep/rest, and I would admit to stealing the crown jewels.

The interrogation is effectively the trial in Japan. You will be locked up for weeks, and you probably will lose your job, but the other way the system works is that if you persevere, insist on your innocence, and don't confess, there is a very high likelihood that prosecutors will drop all charges against you. The reason they are so eager to extract that confession is because they are extremely reluctant to proceed without it.

The focus now shifts to whether prosecutors will appeal Thursday's ruling.

Let's hope they opt for "common sense", not all that common in Japan, and draw a line under this case.

The original prosecutors and police officers are no longer around.

"When people are scared that they might easily be swept up by the police or wrongly accused, they go out of their way to avoid even the appearance of doing anything illegal."

I see where you are coming from M3 - it keeps the plebs in line - but I don't think it is any way to build a society. Sounds tyrannical, in fact. Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, those in the business-bureaucratic-political nexus and their enablers pretty much know they can get away with a mere slap on the wrist for anything and crime seems to infiltrate the whole stinking edifice. So, when we say crime rate is low we should be careful not to do as is common in Japan and attribute crime simply to street crime.

Good news but so sad that Japan’s “justice system” ruined this poor man and his family’s life.

"" saying investigators had fabricated evidence ""

I am hoping and praying that this is the only case but my gut feeling tells me ( IT IS NOT ).

This " Hostage Justice System " must end.

Nothing can bring back the years this man lost due to some corrupt prosecutors and their bosses.

no court or government can give you your time back. if the only way to end a brutal interrogation is to confess, people confess.

for all practical purposes, the death sentence was carried out by the length of time it took to retry and acquit.

are any of the culprits in the fabrication of evidence still alive? you never read of prosecutors being indicted for their crimes.

i read of a recent case where police got a young man to confess to murdering his father. his father wasn’t dead, the police knew he wasn’t dead and in reality nothing had happened to the father at all.

I’m glad he’s managed to clear his name. As happy as I’m sure he is, I imagine his family is quite relieved too. A murder conviction can ruin a family name for a long while.

It’s going to be impossible reparate this man’s lost years and torture.

I must say there have been times I have had one or two gin and tonics to many, have left my handbag somewhere to be handed in, and the police have returned it to me at home.

Ino, Kochi policing is community focused, it is all rather mundane, no speed cameras. The police face the community and are respected for duty.

So to read this appalling miscarriage of justice is disturbing, disillusioning.

No justice for the murdered family though as the true perpetrator has gotten away with it.

Those in the police and prosecution who planted the evidence and forced a confession may well have shuffled off this mortal coil themselves so can't be tried for destroying a man's life. Not that I expect the justice system in Japan to do that even if any are alive.

according to one journalist,

I want the country to face to the horror of "almost killing an innocent citizen.''

I heard that some prosecutors were boasting that "we will definitely hang Hakamada'' until recently.

this is present state of Japanese judicature.

they are arrogant to general citizen, but timid to unjust ruling party politicians.

wallace:

Strong case and reason to abolish the death penalty. But they won't.

One piece of good news is that they rarely carry out actual executions in cases considered controversial. In this particular case, for example, Mr. Hakamada spent nearly half a century on death row.

itsonlyrocknroll

Today 05:40 pm JST

There is another appalling injustice the real murderer evaded justice

Can't be sure.

He's still the prime suspect.

His acquittal doesn't mean he didn't do it.

The former boxer was a live-in employee at a miso maker when he was arrested in 1966 for allegedly killing the firm's senior managing director, his wife and two of their children. They were found dead from stab wounds at their house in Shizuoka Prefecture, which had been burned down.

If he's the real killer then more injustice to the victims

ian - evidence says he didn't do it - not hearsay.

Some of that evidence included -

The small fruit knife they said was the murder weapon was undamaged after 40+ horrific stabbings and experts determined the size of the wounds to be not compatible with such a small knife.

The clothing was too small for Hakamata. Prosecutors said no - it's "B" size his size. The B on that item indicated the color Black not size.

The blood stains were still reddish after 14 months in a miso tank, and the material was still very light in color proven by independent testing to be utterly unbelievable.

Modern DNA testing - a number of times - revealed that the blood was Not Hakamatas.

Wiki - "According to his lawyers, Hakamada was interrogated a total of 264 hours, for as many as 16 hours a session, over 23 days to obtain the confession. They added that he was denied water or toilet breaks during the interrogation. At his trial, Hakamada retracted the confession, saying police had kicked and clubbed him to obtain it, and pleaded not guilty."

Prosecutors the world over hate to be proven wrong, no more so than here in Japan. And to add angst to it all, they will never admit to a failing let alone a wrongdoing - never!

If they appeal this then there is little hope of any type of reform of the judicial system - which is being asked by the national lawyers association amongst others - in the near future.

browny1

Today 08:58 pm JST

ian - evidence says he didn't do it - not hearsay

If evidence was fabricated it doesn't say anything

ian - thanks for the reply.

If evidence was fabricated it doesn't say anything

Actually what it does say is that they had no evidence - that's something!

Evidence is what police, prosecutors and courts of law use to determine guilt.

That's the basis of the democratic trial system.

And once false confessions are brutally obtained - well..... all credibility is lost.

In the end all we've got to go on is hard evidence.

And that's why one of the 3 trial judges in the case who dissented, resigned his position 6 months later. That must have caused shockwaves all those 56 years ago.

browny1

Today 09:24 pm JST

ian - thanks for the reply.

> If evidence was fabricated it doesn't say anything

> Actually what it does say is that they had no evidence - that's something!

He is the prime suspect.

They probably established the motive.

But there's not enough evidence to convict him.

They relied on the confession which was enough to convict him.

But it was thrown out when found out it was forcibly taken.

So they needed evidence, and manufactured it.

Which was enough to convict him.

Until it was thrown out again for being manufactured.

Kinda like the glove didn't fit. Can I use that as comparison? I didn't really know the details of that.

Anyway, he's still the prime suspect.

I think it's still not sure if the case will be closed or be pursued further

Ian, I think your point is why trust confidence in the police is so important.

ian

His acquittal doesn't mean he didn't do it.

The fact that you've never been accused of these murders doesn't mean you didn't do it either. Gotta say, you've created an entirely new and creative school of logic with your comments above.

So, nothing will happen to the prosecutors, police and investigators that planted the evidences???? Nothing???

The people who planted the clothes should be arrested and charged with perverting the course of justice, deliberately setting some just to satisfy the boss for a conviction, it doesn't matter who goes to jail, just get someone is so wrong on so many levels. You could even say if they knowingly set someone up, especially if it's murder charge, they should barely some responsibility,

The people who planted the clothes should be arrested and charged with perverting the course of justice

It was 1966, I'd guess most are dead.

His acquittal doesn't mean he didn't do it.

It just means there isn't any evidence to show he did.

So unless you're a conspiracy theorist, that's the legal equivalent to meaning he didn't do it.

Worst justice system in the free world. There are no checks and balances whatsoever.

This is one of the more obvious reasons why civilised countries do not have the death penalty. You can release people from prison but you cannot bring them back from the dead when you discover that your justice system failed.

Strangerland

Today 12:46 am JST

His acquittal doesn't mean he didn't do it.

> It just means there isn't any evidence to show he did.

> So unless you're a conspiracy theorist, that's the legal equivalent to meaning he didn't do it.

Hahaha not surprised you know very well how a conspiracy theorist thinks

They should provide at least a home with a sizable pension for life, and free medical care for life. Nothing less.

@carpslidy

I’d guess that you have never had the gut wrenching experience of being detained by Japanese police-it’s not a pleasant experience…

USNinJapan2

Sep. 26 11:11 pm JST

ian

> His acquittal doesn't mean he didn't do it.

> The fact that you've never been accused of these murders doesn't mean you didn't do it either. Gotta say, you've created an entirely new and creative school of logic with your comments above.

Hahaha that's new to you?

You haven't of people who weren't convicted for lack of evidence. ?

Never heard of people who got acquitted because evidence was inadmissible?

Never heard of people who got acquitted because evidence was inadmissible?

Are you suggesting that happened in this case? Which evidence?

Is there any compensatory package, monetary value to restore Iwao Hakamata mind, or his life back?

That would be a good start.

>

itsonlyrocknroll

Sep. 26 11:01 pm JST

Ian, I think your point is why trust confidence in the police is so important.

Unfortunately cases like this erode confidence.

Good police work could have produced the evidence they need but I guess they relied too much on confessions to get convictions

Strangerland

Today 07:01 am JST

Never heard of people who got acquitted because evidence was inadmissible?

> Are you suggesting that happened in this case? Which evidence

Nope

Glad to hear this news but as many people said, what about compensation for all damages of a ruined life?!

All we can read about is the clothes in the miso barrel. Does anyone have any source that details all the events surrounding the crime? I'm not talking about entries in wiki by the defense lawyers. I'm talking about police reports regarding the whereabouts of Hakamada on the night of the murders, defense struggle marks, footprints in blood, how much money was taken, how much money Hakamada had, motive...was it a robbery gone wrong, or was it an incident of rage fuelled by animosity. A Google search only yields stories about the clothing found in the miso...why has the rest of the story been scrubbed?

Geeter Mckluskie

Today 11:29 am JST

All we can read about is the clothes in the miso barrel. Does anyone have any source that details all the events surrounding the crime? I'm not talking about entries in wiki by the defense lawyers. I'm talking about police reports regarding the whereabouts of Hakamada on the night of the murders, defense struggle marks, footprints in blood, how much money was taken, how much money Hakamada had, motive...was it a robbery gone wrong, or was it an incident of rage fuelled by animosity. A Google search only yields stories about the clothing found in the miso...why has the rest of the story been scrubbed?

Really ? Surprising given this is a longest running landmark case. Would have expected a long wiki. Maybe there's one in Japanese.

Or maybe they don't want to burden the public of additional things to think about since apparently the retrial and acquittal now hinges/hinged solely on the clothes evidence anyway, everything else has no more weight on the judgement

Since it's most likely the police planted the clothing a new question arises.

How did police get that blood?

I've been unable to find any additional information. But, I wonder if the police and prosecutors and judge involved in the original case are alive.

Blood turns brown over time due to a process called oxidation.

Blood turns brown over time due to a process called oxidation.

Who on here has seen the clothing? What shade of red? Brownish red? To what extent did the miso dye the clothing?

Blood turns brown over time due to a process called oxidation.

I've just seen the shirt in question. It seems to have been submerged in miso, then rinsed clean to present to the procecutors. If it had been submerged then oxidation wouldn't have occured. The blood is not bright red, but darker brownish red. Marks in the front look consistent with defensive hand marks...

Actually wondered about the miso in the beginning. I thought maybe there's something in the miso that could've preserved the bright stain so they used it to fabricate the evidence.

But probably because the miso tanks were the only place where the clothes could be conceivably hidden and found a year later

The blood on the shirt did not match Hakamada's DNA.

https://wrongfulconvictionsblog.org/2012/04/16/recent-developments-in-a-46-year-old-hakamada-case/

,It is not just jpn. UK some horrendous contemporary facts regarding Met Police, (London area), going back decades, US (we see that regularly), India. The responsible policing forces presume themselves to be the enforces of 'the word of the law'. Got a uniform... I am bigger than you. Yep I saw a comment about prosecutors planting evidence, Get Woke? No get awake, more taxes to get a regulatory governance. Really happy to see the system finally worked, any case law in there?

The blood on the shirt did not match Hakamada's DNA.

That's not surprising considering Hakamada wasn't the victim of the stabbings

The blood on the shirt did not match Hakamada's DNA.

The more pertinent question is did it match the victims' DNA?

I should have said the DNA found on the clothing did not match that of Hakamada's.

I should have said the DNA found on the clothing did not match that of Hakamada's.

A sample from Hakamada was taken in 2012 and compared with a sample of the blood from the shirt. So, again...that's not surprising as the blood belonged to the victim not the perpetrator

The DNA was found on the clothing which wasn't Hakamada's proving he had not worn them. The clothes were not his size.

"The tests found no match between Hakamada’s DNA and samples taken from ill-fitting clothing he is alleged to have worn at the time of the crime, casting more doubt on his guilt, say supporters, including the Japan Federation of Bar Associations."

The DNA was found on the clothing which wasn't Hakamada's proving he had not worn them. The clothes were not his size.

The only DNA tested on the clothing was from the blood. The blood is from the victims.

The clothes were not his size...according to the defense lawyers.

If the police contend that Hakamada's blood was on the clothing, then there must have been an injury to Hakamada to lead them to that conclusion. The paucity of information regarding the actual police report is remarkable.