Former Death Row Inmate Hakamata Casts Early Vote in Japan’s Lower House Election

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:32 JST, October 26, 2024

HAMAMATSU — Iwao Hakamata, who was recently acquitted in the 1966 quadruple murder of a family in Shizuoka Prefecture, cast an early vote in the House of Representatives election at the Hamamatsu municipal office in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Hakamata’s voting rights were restored 44 years after his death sentence was finalized in 1980.

Hakamata, 88, visited the municipal office on Friday with his sister, Hideko, 91, and his supporters.

One of the supporters said that Hideko showed Iwao a voting ticket before leaving his house and said, “I’ve got yours too,” to which Iwao replied, “I have one?”

At the polling station, he wrote the name of the candidate clearly, sources said.