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World’s Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate Iwao Hakamada Acquitted After More Than 50 Years
The legal system in Japan just issued a shocking decision that puts an end to a dubious record
Systems of justice vary all around the world depending on where you are. While some are better than others, there are none that should be considered perfect. Unfortunately, there are regularly stories of people having served lengthy prison sentences who are ultimately found to be innocent. The most recent example of that is Iwao Hakamada from Japan who was just released after more than 50 years, and having spent what is believed to be the longest amount of time ever on death row.
The 88-year-old Hakamada was acquitted of a quadruple murder that took place in 1966 after the Japanese Shizuoka District Court’s decision on September 26, 2024. The case’s conclusion represents the end of nearly six-decades of legal struggle
Hakamada, a former boxer, was convicted in 1968 for killing his employer, Fumio Hashiguchi, along with the man’s wife and their two teenage children. The family was found stabbed to death in their home, which had been set on fire. Hakamada had worked at the family’s miso factory since 1965 prior to his arrest.
