Iwao Hakamada, a Japanese man who spent more than four decades on death row for a wrongful conviction, has been awarded $1.4 million in compensation, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The payout, amounting to 12,500 yen ($83) for each day he spent in detention, is the highest of its kind in Japan’s history. Hakamada, now 89, was convicted in 1966 of murdering his boss, the man’s wife, and their two teenage children. He was sentenced to death but maintained his innocence, claiming his confession was coerced through inhumane interrogations.
After years of legal battles and a relentless campaign led by his sister, a Japanese court ruled last year that police had tampered with key evidence, leading to his acquittal. However, his legal team argues that no financial compensation can truly make up for the suffering he endured.
Hakamada was the fifth death row inmate in Japan’s post-war history to be granted a retrial, all of which resulted in exonerations. Despite the case raising concerns over Japan’s judicial system, the government has maintained its stance in favor of capital punishment.
