Iwao Hakamada, a Japanese man who spent over 40 years on death row for a wrongful murder conviction, has been awarded $1.4 million in compensation—the highest payout of its kind in Japan.
The 89-year-old was exonerated in 2023 after courts ruled that police tampered with evidence and forced a confession through inhumane interrogations.
Despite the compensation, Hakamada's legal team argues it is insufficient for his suffering. His decades on death row severely impacted his mental health.
His case highlighted flaws in Japan’s justice system, where retrials are rare and executions occur with little notice.