A former Japanese boxer who languished for almost half a century on death row has been granted the equivalent of 1.45 million dollars compensation for crimes he didn`t commit. Iwao Hakamata now aged eighty nine was convicted of the 1968 murders of his boss, the wife and their two children. Due to his legal team and a fighting campaign which lasted for decades, he was released in 2014 and acquitted in a re-trial last year. His lawyers say this is the largest payment in a Japanese criminal case, but falls far short of what should be paid in compensation for the appalling ordeal he suffered for more than half a lifetime incarceration, mostly on death row. Much of that Hard Time was spent in solitary confinement under the fear of being executed on several hours of notice.

 

In the conclusion of this case which raises a myriad of disturbing, vexing questions and issues, presiding Judge Kunii Koshi stated that Mr Hakamata has suffered: ”Extreme and severe mental pain as well as physical anguish.” The World Boxing Council and the Japanese Boxing Commission joined the campaign for a re-trial and exoneration, due to flimsy, unreliable, untenable, insupportable evidence.

 

Mr Hakamata lives with his older sister Hideki aged ninety-one, who fought and championed his case for fifty-six years to save him, although his incarceration has left permanent scars which can never be salved or healed.