Japanese Police Chief Apologizes to Man Acquitted After 50 Years on Death Row

Iwao Hakamada, wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for decades, receives a formal apology after his recent acquittal.

Iwao Hakamada, an 88-year-old former boxer, was acquitted by the Shizuoka District Court after being wrongfully convicted and held on death row for nearly 60 years.
The court found that police and prosecutors had fabricated evidence and coerced a confession through violent interrogations.
Shizuoka Prefectural Police chief Takayoshi Tsuda visited Hakamada to offer a personal apology for the mental distress and burden caused by the wrongful conviction.
Hakamada's case has prompted calls for greater transparency in investigations and legal reforms to ease the process of obtaining retrials in Japan.
The acquittal has sparked renewed debate over the use of the death penalty in Japan, highlighting the rarity of retrials and acquittals for death row inmates.