I feel relieved as he was ruled innocent, said Hiroaki Murayama, a lawyer who as a judge in 2014 released Mr. Hakamada and ordered a retrial.
According to The Mainichi Shimbun, Mr. Hakamada's sister appeared at court hearings and testified that his mental condition was deteriorating over the years.
Hideko Hakamada, Mr. Hakamada's sister, said that the ruling was a landmark decision and that the court had clearly said Mr. Hakamada's original conviction was based on fabricated evidence.
Mr. Hakamada's acquittal marks the fifth time a defendant sentenced to death row has been exonerated in Japan in the postwar period.
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