The head of the Shizuoka District Public Prosecutors Office, Hideo Yamada, visited Iwao Hakamata at his home in Hamamatsu City on Wednesday to offer a formal apology. Hakamata, 88, was recently acquitted in a retrial decades after being convicted of the 1966 murder of four people.

Yamada expressed deep regret for the years of uncertainty and distress Hakamata had endured. He acknowledged the court's acquittal and stated that the prosecution would no longer consider Hakamata a criminal.

Hakamata's sister, Hideko, 91, expressed her happiness at the confirmation of her brother's innocence. She declined to comment further on the prosecution's actions.

The Shizuoka District Court acquitted Hakamata last September, ruling that evidence used in his original conviction had been fabricated by investigators. Prosecutor General Naomi Unemoto stated that the prosecution would not appeal the ruling but expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome. Hakamata's lawyers criticized Unemoto's remarks, arguing that they implied Hakamata's guilt and could be considered defamatory.

Last month, Takayoshi Tsuda, chief of Shizuoka prefectural police, also apologized to Hakamata during a meeting.