Ex-judge confesses he believed convicted murderer was not guilty

Ex-judge confesses he believed convicted murderer was not guilty

TOKYO, Japan - Norimichi Kumamoto (C), a former Shizuoka District Court judge, tells an anti-death penalty assembly in Tokyo on March 9 that he thought a man who received a death sentence for the 1966 murder of a family of four was ''not guilty'' when he was involved in the man's trial. However, he agreed to the death sentence after the two other judges involved in the case made the decision, despite preparing a 360-page document citing reasons for the innocence of Iwao Hakamada, who has been in prison for over 40 years while seeking a retrial for the murders. Kumamoto's remark came a day before Hakamada's 71st birthday.

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  • ILEA001121464
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  • Kyodo / Kyodo News Images
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