Iwao Hakamada a free man... at last
Earlier today the Japanese boxing community got the news it never expected to get, but had fought years for, and that was that former fighter Iwao Hakamada [袴田 巖] had finally been acquitted for a quadruple murder that occurred almost 60 years ago.
Hakamada, who is best known for what has been dubbed the “Hakamada Incident” was found guilty of the murder of his boss, his boss' wife and their two children who had been stabbed at their home which had then been set on fire. Hakamada had been there to help fight the blaze, but was arrested some weeks later and had been given a brutal interrogation, lasting a reported 264 hours (the same as 11 days), over a 23 day period, and ended in a forced confession.
That confession was later used to prosecute Hakamada, who would be given the death sentence and later spend close to 50 years on death row in Japan, with much of that time spent in solitary confinement. There had been a long going fight for his innocence, with many believing Hakamada’s forced confession wasn’t a genuine confession, and that he hadn’t done the murders, but had instead essentially said he had to stop the torture of the interrogation.
Among those aiding him in his battle for freedom had been the Japanese boxing scene, with 500 supporters including world champion boxers Koichi Wajima and Katsuo Tokashiki handing letters to the Supreme Court in Japan trying to secure a retrial. The Japan Professional Boxing Association was also part of the fight and pushed hard for a retrial, with charity events and regular rallies on behalf of Hakamada and the desire to see Hakamada getting a retrial. The pressure, which had seen Amnesty International among others campaign on his behalf, eventually got results with Hakamada being released in 2014, on the basis of a future retrial. The decision for Hakamada to be free until a retrial was confirmed by the Tokyo High Court, who later went to order a retrial which finally concluded today with Hakamada finally getting a much overdue "Not Guilty" ruling.
Although Hakamada’s boxing career has long been overshadowed by his legal battle he had been a boxer in the late 1950's and early 1960's, running up a 16-11-2 (1) record. He had shown his toughness in his boxing career, and there is no doubting that his fighting spirit helped him in his legal battle, and his fight for freedom.
Sadly, now aged 88, Hakamada has had failing health and whilst he is now an innocent man, much of his life has been taken away from him by a legal system that failed him for so long. We just hope that Hakamada can enjoy what’s left of his life, and the Japanese legal system can take a long, hard look at itself following a huge miscarriage of justice.
Hakamada, who is best known for what has been dubbed the “Hakamada Incident” was found guilty of the murder of his boss, his boss' wife and their two children who had been stabbed at their home which had then been set on fire. Hakamada had been there to help fight the blaze, but was arrested some weeks later and had been given a brutal interrogation, lasting a reported 264 hours (the same as 11 days), over a 23 day period, and ended in a forced confession.
That confession was later used to prosecute Hakamada, who would be given the death sentence and later spend close to 50 years on death row in Japan, with much of that time spent in solitary confinement. There had been a long going fight for his innocence, with many believing Hakamada’s forced confession wasn’t a genuine confession, and that he hadn’t done the murders, but had instead essentially said he had to stop the torture of the interrogation.
Among those aiding him in his battle for freedom had been the Japanese boxing scene, with 500 supporters including world champion boxers Koichi Wajima and Katsuo Tokashiki handing letters to the Supreme Court in Japan trying to secure a retrial. The Japan Professional Boxing Association was also part of the fight and pushed hard for a retrial, with charity events and regular rallies on behalf of Hakamada and the desire to see Hakamada getting a retrial. The pressure, which had seen Amnesty International among others campaign on his behalf, eventually got results with Hakamada being released in 2014, on the basis of a future retrial. The decision for Hakamada to be free until a retrial was confirmed by the Tokyo High Court, who later went to order a retrial which finally concluded today with Hakamada finally getting a much overdue "Not Guilty" ruling.
Although Hakamada’s boxing career has long been overshadowed by his legal battle he had been a boxer in the late 1950's and early 1960's, running up a 16-11-2 (1) record. He had shown his toughness in his boxing career, and there is no doubting that his fighting spirit helped him in his legal battle, and his fight for freedom.
Sadly, now aged 88, Hakamada has had failing health and whilst he is now an innocent man, much of his life has been taken away from him by a legal system that failed him for so long. We just hope that Hakamada can enjoy what’s left of his life, and the Japanese legal system can take a long, hard look at itself following a huge miscarriage of justice.