A Japanese man who spent 17 years in jail after being wrongly convicted of a child's murder has been awarded more than $1 million in compensation.

Toshikazu Sugaya was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and murdering a four-year-old girl.

But a court has now freed him after ruling his DNA did not match that found at the scene.

The former bus driver has been awarded $1.1 million in compensation or $150 for every day he spent in prison.

While accepting the payout, Mr Sugaya said he was still waiting for an apology from the detectives and prosecutors who put him behind bars.