A 1966 murder case, over which former pro-boxer Iwao Hakamata was sentenced to death, will be reopened after Tokyo prosecutors on Monday decided against appealing last week’s Tokyo High Court decision to order a retrial.
The case will now be sent to the Shizuoka District Court, with a high possibility that Hakamata will be exonerated.
The news triggered a wave of joy among his supporters, defense team and, most of all, his elder sister, who has been by Hakamata’s side since he was first arrested soon after the incident.