Sister’s 57

Hideko Hakamada broke into tears on March 13 and mustered up the strength of her 90-year-old body to celebrate in front of the Tokyo High Court.

“I’ve waited for this day for 57 years,” she told supporters.

The court had just granted a retrial for her brother, Iwao, who had been sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering four people in 1966.

Iwao, 87, was conspicuously absent from the celebration of the milestone in the siblings’ decades-long quest for justice.

“He lives in a world of delusions,” Hideko said.

Iwao developed mental illnesses during his nearly 35 years on death row.

The Shizuoka District Court ordered his release in 2014. He now lives with his older sister in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Iwao believes he has already won a not-guilty verdict, she said, and he went out for a drive in the city with his supporters on March 13, as he often does.

Hideko said that she and Iwao at times talk past each other.

She not only remains his spokesperson, but she is also his biggest supporter.

It is a task she took up even before their lives were turned upside down in 1966.

LOOKING OUT FOR YOUNGER BROTHER