Judicial appointments and the death penalty are among areas where a lame-duck administration can still leave a mark. Donald Trump’s second presidential term will begin on Jan. 20, bringing with it promises to dramatically reshape many aspects of the criminal justice system. The U.S. Senate — with its authority over confirming judicial nominees — will also shift from Democratic to Republican control.
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Japan | Shizuoka police chief apologizes to Iwao Hakamada after his acquittal
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The chief of the Shizuoka Prefectural Police on Monday offered an apology in person to Iwao Hakamada at his home in Shizuoka Prefecture following his acquittal in a retrial over a 1966 murder case last month.
Takayoshi Tsuda visited the home of Hakamada, 88, in the city of Hamamatsu, bowing deeply for about two minutes.
“I am sorry for the pain and burden I have caused you over the last 58 years, which cannot be expressed in words,” Tsuda said to Hakamada and his older sister Hideko, 91, who fought a decades-long legal battle on behalf of her brother.
In response, Hideko stated, “Both Iwao and I believe (what happened) was destiny. I have no intention of complaining now.”
In its retrial ruling on Sept. 26, the Shizuoka District Court said that investigators coerced Hakamada into confessing, and that bloodstained pieces of clothes believed to have been worn at the time of the crime were planted by investigative authorities.
Tsuda told reporters on Oct. 9, the day when prosecutors waived their right to appeal against the retrial ruling, that he intended to apologize to Hakamada in person.
Hakamada’s death sentence was initially finalized in 1980. But he and his defense team sought a retrial, which was granted in 2023. Hakamada was definitively exonerated when prosecutors decided not to appeal the ruling on Oct. 9.
Japan local police chief apologizes to man acquitted in 1966 murders
A local police chief in Japan on Monday apologized in person to an 88-year-old man who spent nearly half a century on death row before being acquitted in a retrial over a 1966 quadruple murder case.
"I am sorry for the unspeakable burden and trouble we have caused you over the long 58 years from the time of your arrest to your acquittal being finalized," Takayoshi Tsuda, chief of the Shizuoka Prefectural Police, said during a visit to Iwao Hakamada's home in Hamamatsu.
It was the first time that an official of the police or prosecutors has directly apologized to Hakamada, who was arrested by Shizuoka police in 1966 but released in 2014 after new evidence cast doubt on his conviction.
Recognized the same year as the world's longest-serving death row prisoner, he was acquitted in a retrial in September, with the verdict finalized earlier this month when prosecutors decided not to appeal.
His 91-year-old sister Hideko, who was at the meeting, told Tsuda, "Now I think it was fate. At this point, I have no intention of making complaints to the police. Thank you very much for coming all the way here today."
Hakamada has difficulties communicating with others after his mental state deteriorated during his years of incarceration on death row.
Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Tsuda again apologized, saying "coercive and intimidating interrogation" had been used against Hakamata. "We will conduct more thorough and appropriate investigations in the future," he said.
In its Sept. 26 ruling acquitting Hakamada, the Shizuoka District Court said investigators had fabricated evidence, including five pieces of clothing Hakamada allegedly wore during the incident. The items played a key role in his conviction.
The court also said his confession during questioning was "forced by inflicting physical and mental pain," calling his interrogation "inhumane."
The ruling was finalized on Oct. 9, marking an end to his family's decades-long struggle for justice.
Tsuda's visit to Hakamada came after he had told reporters he intended to offer him an apology in person and that the prefectural police were "sorry that Mr. Hakamdta was placed in an unstable legal status for a long time."
His remark followed a similar statement issued by Prosecutor General Naomi Unemoto apologizing to Hakamada.
The former professional boxer was a live-in employee at a miso maker when he was arrested for allegedly killing the firm's senior managing director, his wife and two of their children. They were found dead from stab wounds at their house in Shizuoka Prefecture, which had been burned down.
Indicted for murder, robbery and arson, his death sentence was finalized in 1980.
Judicial appointments and the death penalty are among areas where a lame-duck administration can still leave a mark. Donald Trump’s second presidential term will begin on Jan. 20, bringing with it promises to dramatically reshape many aspects of the criminal justice system. The U.S. Senate — with its authority over confirming judicial nominees — will also shift from Democratic to Republican control.
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