Japanese Man Acquitted Of 1966 Murders After 45 Years On Death Row

A Japanese man said to have spent the world's longest time on death row was acquitted of murder on Thursday, his legal team said, ending his family's search for justice after a wrongful conviction for crimes committed nearly 60 years ago.

The Shizuoka district court cleared Iwao Hakamada, 88, in a retrial of the murders of four people in the central Japanese region in 1966.

It was sweet to hear the words "not guilty" in the courtroom, said Hideko Hakamada, who has battled for decades to clear her younger brother's name.