It was a moment that Iwao Hakamada had long been waiting for. But at 84 years old and with psychological problems developed during decades on death row, he could not grasp its significance.
His sister, Hideko, 87, showed him a letter from the Supreme Court about a decision that could lead to his acquittal of a conviction for a 1966 multiple murder that he has insisted he did not commit.
The Supreme Court on Dec. 22 overturned a lower court ruling and sent the case back to the Tokyo High Court, giving Hakamada a chance to clear his name in a retrial.
Hakamada, however, told her sister, “The retrial has already ended.”