| Shizuoka Shimbun Co., Ltd. |
| Press release: September 25, 2024 |
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| Shizuoka Shimbun makes a 360° VR video of the harsh interrogation of the “Hakamada Incident” and releases it on YouTube ahead of the retrial judgment on September 26th |
| You can experience part of the VR app “The Last Fort VR (VR Hakamada Incident)” without MetaQuest |
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| You can experience the interrogation that Mr. Hakamada underwent in the 360°VR video on YouTube |
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| On September 25, 2024, Shizuoka Shimbun (Headquarters: 3-1-1 Toro, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka City, Representative Director: Shinaki Osuka) established a miso manufacturing company that was founded in June 1966 in what is now Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka City. You can relive the harsh interrogation that Iwao Hakamada underwent at the time in the murder case of the managing director's family of four (the so-called Hakamada incident) on YouTube [360°VR video] Last stronghold VR (VR Hakamada incident) has been published. |
| Video overview |
| The VR app “The Last Bastion” VR (VR Hakamada Case) for MetaQuest, which our company released for free on August 26th, is based on the campaign series “The Last Bastion: Criminal Justice and Retrial,” which explores the problems with the retrial system. , was created using materials such as audio data from an actual interrogation in 1966 obtained by the reporting team. Users can relive the harshness and futility of the interrogation that Mr. Hakamada underwent through a sense of ownership and immersion that cannot be obtained by simply listening to the audio data. → MetaQuest version “The Last Fortress VR” store page |
| This video [360°VR video] Last stronghold VR (VR Hakamada incident) was created so that even those who do not have MetaQuest can experience a part of the VR app as a 360° VR video on YouTube. I hope that as many people as possible will be interested in the problems with the interrogations at the time, which focused on coercing confessions, false accusations of capital punishment, the issue of retrials in Japan, and the retrial sentencing hearing scheduled for September 26th at the Shizuoka District Court. Masu. |
| About 360°VR video |
| You can view the surroundings 360° in the video by dragging on a computer or by dragging or moving the device on a smartphone. For Android smartphones, the VR icon will be displayed and you can have an immersive experience with inexpensive VR goggles for smartphones. Please turn on Japanese subtitles to watch (it is turned on by default). |
| Recommended position: horizontal position |
| Recommended image quality: 1080s or higher |
| BGM used: Demon King Soul (Koichi Morita) |
| *The video uses audio data from the actual interrogation, but includes effects from content production. |
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| -Reference- |
| Hakamada case and retrial history |
| In the early hours of June 30, 1966, in what is now Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City, a fire broke out at the then managing director (41) of a miso manufacturing company, and the bodies of the managing director's family of four were found in the burnt ruins. In August, prefectural police arrested Iwao Hakamada, a live-in employee, on suspicion of robbery and murder. Hakamada made a “confession'' just before the deadline for detention, but he consistently maintained his innocence at trial. He was sentenced to death in 1980. Mr. Hakamada's sister Hideko filed a second request for retrial in April 2008, and in March 2014, the Shizuoka District Court approved the start of the retrial and at the same time decided to suspend the death penalty and imprisonment, and Mr. Hakamada was sentenced to death for approximately 48 years. He was released for the first time. Meanwhile, the prosecution filed an immediate appeal. In June 2018, the Tokyo High Court took a sudden turn and rejected his request for a retrial, but maintained his release. In December 2020, the Supreme Court reversed the high court's decision and remanded the case to the high court. In March 2023, the high court rejected the prosecutor's immediate appeal, ruling that it was extremely likely that the evidence had been fabricated by the investigating agency. The prosecution gave up on the special appeal, and it was decided that a retrial would begin. A retrial hearing began at the Shizuoka District Court on October 27 of the same year, and the prosecution maintained its guilt. There have been a total of 15 retrials, including the appeal sentence, and the verdict will be handed down at the 16th trial on September 26, 2019. |
| Campaign series “The last stronghold: criminal justice and retrial” |
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| Campaign series “The last stronghold: criminal justice and retrial” |
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| A long-term series that ran from the morning edition of December 31, 2022 to the morning edition of June 27, 2024. Through the Hakamada case and other cases, we clarified the deficiencies and background of the Retrial Act (retrial provisions in the Criminal Procedure Law), which has never been revised since the war, and explored the path to reform with a focus on the role of the legislature. In March 2023, the Tokyo High Court approved the start of a retrial for Iwao Hakamada, and the prosecution gave up on a special appeal. One of the reasons for this was the reporting attitude of local newspapers, which received high praise from legal professionals. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations (Japan Federation of Bar Associations) presented a revised bill in 23 years, the first in 32 years. In March 2014, a bipartisan League of Diet Members was established to aim for early revision of the Reexamination Act, and Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taro Aso was appointed as its top advisor. To date, there are over 330 subscribers. The newspaper's reporting, which made visible the disconnect between Diet members and public opinion, has been praised as having “set the trend” (according to a source at the Japan Federation of Bar Associations). |
| Shizuoka Shimbun special site “The road to Iwao Hakamada's retrial: I will not be defeated” |
| About Shizuoka Shimbun |
| Established in 1941. Approximately 100 reporters cover news in Shizuoka Prefecture through a reporting network at the head office (Shizuoka), two general bureaus in Hamamatsu and Numazu, and 22 branch offices. Received the 2022 Newspaper Association Award for “Darkness of Remaining Soil Warning: Mt. Izu,'' which examined the Atami debris flow. |
| Inquiry regarding this matter |
| Shizuoka Shimbun “The Last Fortress” Reporting Team (Social Affairs Department) |
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