Shizuoka (Japan) - He spent 46 innocent years on death row and was only acquitted after ten more : The now 89-year-old Japanese man Iwao Hakamada is now receiving compensation for having to spend half of his life behind bars innocently.

The former professional boxer was convicted of four counts of murder in 1968, then acquitted last year.

A DNA test had revealed that blood-stained clothing, which was responsible for his conviction, was only later discarded at the crime scene.

The Shizuoka District Court has now decided how much the falsely imprisoned man is entitled to for the injustice: according to CNN, he is to receive around 1.33 million euros - the equivalent of around 77 euros per day he spent in prison for being innocent.

His legal representative said that this was the highest compensation ever paidfor a wrongful conviction in Japan . Nevertheless, this could not make up for what the 89-year-old had to suffer.

The fact that he was stuck on death row for decades and had to expect to be executed at any time has severely damaged his psyche.

According to his sister, with whom he stayed after his release, he now lives in his "own world".

"Sometimes he smiles happily, but then he's in his delusion. We haven't even spoken to Iwao about the trial because he doesn't know what the reality is," she said.

According to AFP, it is very difficult to get a retrial in Japan. So far, there have only been five such cases, all of which ended in acquittal.