Hakamata's Sister Opposes Justice Ministry Draft to Restrict Retrial Evidence Use

Hideko Hakamata, the older sister of former death-row inmate Iwao Hakamata, reiterated her criticism of the Japanese government on April 24, 2026, over a planned revamping of the country's retrial system. She opposed a draft bill from the Justice Ministry that seeks to amend the criminal procedure law to overhaul the retrial system. jp reported.

Violators of this evidence use ban would be subject to penalties under the draft bill. This rule would prevent those seeking to challenge their convictions from presenting the disclosed evidence to supporters or media organizations. Hideko Hakamata stated her opposition to the draft government bill, which aims to restrict such evidence usage.

Her comments built on earlier remarks she made during a gathering in Tokyo in June to call for a revision of Japan's retrial system. The gathering in Tokyo focused on advocating changes to the retrial process, where Hideko Hakamata spoke about the need for reforms. Iwao Hakamata, her brother, was previously on death row, providing personal context to her advocacy on retrial issues.