An 89-year-old Japanese man, acquitted of the 1966 murder of a family of four in central Japan, has been awarded the highest-ever criminal compensation by the Japanese government.
After spending over 47 years in prison under a death sentence, he will receive approximately $1.44 million, his legal team confirmed Tuesday.
The Shizuoka District Court issued the compensation order on Monday, acknowledging the decades he spent in physical detention, from the time of his arrest until his release.
In January, Iwao Hakamata’s legal team filed a compensation claim with the court. Now 89 years old, Hakamata continues to struggle with the lasting effects of his wrongful imprisonment.
His acquittal became official last October, ending his family’s long battle to secure his freedom. According to the court, investigators had fabricated evidence in the case, which took place in Shizuoka Prefecture, and this fabrication was a key factor in determining the amount of compensation.
The presiding judge highlighted that Hakamata spent approximately 33 of those years under a death sentence, causing him immense mental and physical suffering. His team has announced plans to sue Shizuoka Prefecture and the national government this summer to hold them accountable for the miscarriage of justice.
Speaking at a press conference in Shizuoka, one of Hakamata’s lawyers said, “Awarding the highest-ever amount of compensation is only natural in a case involving a death sentence and fabricated evidence.”
Referring to Hakamata’s ongoing struggles, the lawyer also criticized the government, stating that the payment of 200 million yen cannot undo the harm caused.
Japanese Hostage Justice
Japan’s wrongful convictions have drawn attention to the country’s justice system, which has a conviction rate of over 99%. Critics argue that systemic flaws, including reliance on confessions and lengthy pretrial detentions, contribute to such cases.
The legal system, often described as “hostage justice,” heavily depends on confessions obtained during interrogations, where legal safeguards are limited.
Suspects can be detained for up to 23 days before being indicted, facing interrogations lasting up to 12 hours a day without legal representation. These sessions are not always recorded, and critics believe they can involve psychological pressure or coercion, leading to false confessions.
Around 90% of criminal cases in Japan are built on confessions, increasing the risk of wrongful convictions, especially when suspects are under duress. Prosecutors are also incentivized to secure convictions, which sometimes leads to ignoring evidence that could clear the accused or pursuing cases despite reasonable doubt.
The introduction of the lay judge system in 2009 aimed to improve transparency and address wrongful convictions. This system allows citizens to sit alongside professional judges in trials. Since its implementation, the conviction rate has dropped slightly to about 97.8% by 2017, and prosecution rates for serious crimes like murder have also declined.
However, estimates suggest as many as 1,500 wrongful convictions may still occur annually. Groups like Innocence Project Japan, established in 2016, work to address these issues, with dozens of prisoners claiming innocence reaching out to the organization.
Despite these reforms, cultural and structural problems remain. Japan’s focus on maintaining a high conviction rate and its reluctance to admit errors continue to pose challenges.
Public trust in the system is high, but high-profile exonerations like Hakamata’s have led to calls for change, including mandatory recording of interrogations and stronger protections for defendants’ rights. While Japan’s low crime rate is often praised, it comes at a significant cost, leaving innocent people vulnerable to a system geared towards securing convictions.
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Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
