Japan Awards $1.4 Million to Iwao Hakamada After 44 Years on Death Row

Japan Awards $1.4 Million to Iwao Hakamada After 44 Years on Death Row

Japan's Shizuoka District Court has awarded $1.4 million in compensation to Iwao Hakamada, a former boxer who spent 44 years on death row before his wrongful conviction was overturned.

Hakamada, now 87 years old, was convicted in 1968 for the murder of a family of four, a crime he always denied committing. His case became a symbol of Japan’s controversial justice system, particularly regarding forced confessions. Lawyers and human rights activists argued that his confession was coerced during prolonged interrogations.

The compensation, which amounts to $87 per day of wrongful imprisonment, is the largest financial settlement ever granted in Japan for a wrongful conviction. Hakamada’s legal team had initially sought a higher amount, but they welcomed the ruling as a step toward justice.