Sadamichi Hirasawa was sentenced to death in part because of a one-off admission that he killed 12 people with poison and took money from a branch of Teikoku Ginko (Imperial Bank) in Tokyo in 1948. The Teigin Incident, as the crime became known, was one of postwar Japan's most sensational mass-murder cases.
Hirasawa's lawyers, however, are attempting to reopen the case by using what they call his temporary confession as evidence to prove his innocence.
In an appeal for a retrial filed with the Tokyo High Court last November, the lawyers submitted an expert opinion written by Sumio Hamada, professor emeritus of psychology at Nara Women's University, who closely examined interrogation records to conclude Hirasawa knew nothing about the crime for which he was accused and ultimately convicted.