Key Takeaways:
* Senior Japanese prosecutor visits and apologizes to Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest-serving death row inmate.
* Hakamada spent 46 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit, with his conviction being overturned recently.
* Japan and the US are the only two significant nations that still uphold capital punishment.
* Hakamada is the fifth death-row inmate granted retrial, all of whom have been exonerated.
* Despite Hakamada’s case, Japan still stands firm on its stance regarding the death penalty.
The Apology Session
On Wednesday, a top-ranking Japanese public prosecutor made a significant visit to a certain man’s house. That man was Iwao Hakamada. The prosecutor, Hideo Yamada, was there to express an official apology to Hakamada, as well as his sister, Hideko.
Hakamada’s Unfair Sentence
You see, Hakamada is not just any regular citizen. He was once the longest-serving prisoner on death row around the whole world. That’s right! Hakamada spent an unbelievable 46 years under the shadow of the death penalty. This was because a court in 1966 had convicted him for a quadruple murder.
The Fabricated Evidence
However, the case took a turn in September this year. The evidence used to convict him was examined again, and guess what? The court found that the evidence had been faked. So, after nearly half a century, Hakamada finally walked free.
A Series of Apologies
Last month, Hakamada had received another such visit. This time, it was the local police chief who came over to his house to apologize. Then on Wednesday, the regional chief prosecutor decided to follow suit.
Yamada frowned and bowed, expressing how bad he felt. He unveiled his regret and remorse for putting Hakamada in a terrible situation, based on an unstable legal verdict. He apologized for the hard times Hakamada and his sister Hideko had to face.
Hakamada’s Response
Well, how did Hakamada and his sister Hideko react to this? Hideko, who is 91 and often speaks on behalf of her brother, answered with grace. They were overjoyed for his innocence and thanked Yamada for coming.
Japan’s Death Row Policy
I need to mention something about Japan. It, along with the United States, is among the very few highly-developed democracies that still use the death penalty. This punishment still enjoys diverse public support in Japan.
Death Row Exonerations
Let me tell you, Hakamada isn’t the first one to be freed from Japan’s death row. He is, in fact, the fifth one to be awarded a retrial and proved innocent in Japan’s post-war history.
Japan’s Stance on Capital Punishment
Yet, even with Hakamada’s incident, Japan doesn’t seem to be considering dropping the death penalty. Just a week after his release, Justice Minister Hideki Makihara made it clear that the death penalty would persist. He defended this by saying that bad crimes kept happening.
Makihara pledged to handle future death penalty decisions with extreme caution and sincerity. But, Hakamada’s story tells us that caution is often not enough. True justice is rarer than one might hope, and it is a battle to achieve it. Hakamada’s hard-fought victory attests to that struggle. But his triumph brings global attention to the broader debate surrounding the death penalty, making us question its efficacy in justice delivery.