A Japanese man freed after being on death row for 46 years has returned home.

Former pro boxer Iwao Hakamada, now 78, was jailed in 1966 for killing his boss and the man’s family.

Hakamada was released in March after a DNA test showed blood found on clothing worn by the killer didn’t match Hakamada’s.

He returned to his hometown Hamamatsu in central Japan today after transferring from a Tokyo hospital where he was being treated for dementia.

Supporters and classmates were there to welcome him home.

Afterwards, Hakamada spoke to the press with his sister.

He said he was relieved to be home and felt relaxed.

The world’s longest-serving death row inmate will now have a retrial in the 48-year-old murder case.