Iwao Hakamada, the world's longest-serving death row inmate, received $1.4 million in compensation for his wrongful conviction in a 1966 quadruple murder. Exonerated in 2024 after evidence tampering came to light, his case illustrates significant systemic flaws in Japan's justice system. Hakamada endured 46 years of harsh detention conditions, including inhumane interrogations designed to extract false confessions. Despite the record compensation, his legal team argues it fails to account for the profound psychological damage caused by decades spent on death row, where the imminent threat of execution was a daily reality.
The final amount is a record for compensation of this kind, local media said. But Hakamada's legal team has said the money falls short of the pain he suffered.
Hakamada was exonerated in 2024 of a 1966 quadruple murder after a tireless campaign by his sister and others.
Hakamada had suffered inhumane interrogations meant to force a statement (confession) that he later withdrew, the court said at the time.
Decades of detention with the threat of execution constantly looming took a major toll on Hakamada's mental health, with his lawyers describing him as living in a world of fantasy.
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