When a court declared Iwao Hakamata innocent in September, the world’s longest-serving death row inmate seemed unable to comprehend, much less savour the moment.
“I told him he was acquitted, and he was silent,” Hideko Hakamata, his 91-year-old sister, tells the BBC at her home in Hamamatsu, Japan.
“I couldn’t tell whether he understood or not.”
Hideko had been fighting for her brother’s retrial ever since he was convicted of quadruple murder in 1968.
In September 2024, at the age of 88, he was finally acquitted – ending Japan’s longest running legal saga.
Mr Hakamata’s case is remarkable. But it also shines a light on the systemic brutality underpinning Japan’s justice system, where death row inmates are only notified of their hanging a few hours in advance, and spend years unsure whether each day will be their last.