Vatican sends letter to Japanese man acquitted of 1966 murders

The Vatican has sent a letter to a Japanese man acquitted of a 1966 quadruple murder in a retrial, expressing the pope's joy over the freedom of Iwao Hakamata who spent more than four decades on death row.

"His Holiness Pope Francis was pleased to be informed about your acquittal," according to the letter written on behalf of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Hakamata, 88, was baptized as a Catholic in 1984 while in detention and attended a mass held by the pontiff at Tokyo Dome in 2019.

The letter, dated Jan 9 and accompanied with a rosary with an emblem of the Vatican, said the pope "hopes that you will enjoy the fullness of your freedom and the company of those closest to you." The pope also "cordially sends his blessing," it read.

The letter was personally handed over by Cardinal Isao Kikuchi during his visit to Hakamata's home in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in late February, the former death row inmate's 92-year-old sister, Hideko, said.

Indicted for murder, robbery and arson, Hakamata's death sentence was finalized in 1980.

New evidence led to the release of the former professional boxer from the Tokyo Detention House in 2014, and his case was later reopened. In September 2024, he was acquitted by the Shizuoka District Court in a retrial.

Hakamata was a live-in employee at a miso maker when he was arrested in 1966 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.

"I was happy for the care shown (by the pope). I hope the pope regains his health," the sister said.

The pope, who has been hospitalized since last month, continues to be treated for pneumonia, according to the Vatican.