World’s longest-serving death row inmate to receive record payout after he was found not guilty 56 years after sentencing

Hakamata pictured in 2018 (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)

A major point of discussion for arguing his innocence was blood-stained clothing that investigators claimed Hakamata wore during the crime and hid in a tank of fermented soybean paste.

However, defence lawyers and earlier retrial decisions said the blood samples did not match Hakamata’s DNA.

Meanwhile, trousers that prosecutors submitted as evidence were said to be too small for Hakamata and did not fit when he tried them on.

Despite this evidence that the senior citizen did not murder his boss and his boss’ family, in May last year prosecutors still asked for the death penalty to be enforced, which led to critics questioning whether the system needed reform.

But on 26 September, he was acquitted after a court found him not guilty of the charges.

“The court finds the defendant innocent,” judge Koshi Kunii said at the time.