Statement Regarding Ruling to Open a Retrial of the Hakamada Case
In the second appeal for retrial of the case known as the “Hakamada Case”, the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office chose not to make a special appeal against the ruling rendered by the Tokyo High Court on March 13, 2023 to dismiss the immediate appeal made by the public prosecutors, thereby resulting in the ruling rendered by the Shizuoka District Court on March 27, 2014 to open a retrial of the case becoming final and binding.
The Japan Federation of Bar Associations (the “JFBA”) has worked to provide support to the defendant in requesting a retrial for about 42 years. The JFBA, along with Mr. Iwao Hakamada, those who are close to him and the defense counsel for the case, wholeheartedly welcome the ruling which moves us one step closer to achieving redress for the miscarriage of justice suffered by Mr. Hakamada.
The JFBA strongly hopes that the retrial will begin as soon as possible, and Mr. Hakamada will be acquitted through speedy proceedings and gain true freedom. In addition to our continuing support for Mr. Hakamada in seeking acquittal in the retrial, we will continue to exert our further efforts toward the early realization of systemic reforms to prevent miscarriages of justice from occurring, including the amendment of the Code of Criminal Procedure Part IV, so that miscarriages of justice like this will not happen again.
March 20, 2023
Motoji Kobayashi
President of Japan Federation of Bar Associations
