Overview

• Iwao Hakamada, wrongfully convicted of a 1968 quadruple murder, spent 46 years on death row before his exoneration in September 2024.
• The Shizuoka District Court awarded him €1.2 million on March 24, 2025, the maximum allowed under Japanese law for wrongful imprisonment.
• The court cited fabricated evidence and inhumane interrogation practices, which included coercion and physical and mental abuse.
• Hakamada’s exoneration is the fifth instance in post-war Japan where a retrial for a death row inmate resulted in acquittal.
• His decades-long legal battle was spearheaded by his sister, whose advocacy played a crucial role in securing his release and justice.