Japan sentences Abe assassin to life imprisonment
The 67-year-old former prime minister was killed in the attack.
KATHMANDU: A Japanese court has sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to life imprisonment. On Wednesday, the Nara District Court found the 45-year-old Yamagami guilty of the assassination.
On July 8, 2022, Yamagami used a homemade firearm to attack Abe while he was addressing an election rally in the western city of Nara.
The 67-year-old former prime minister was killed in the attack.
During the trial, prosecutors described the killing as “an unprecedented and serious incident in postwar Japanese history.” Citing the deep societal impact and the premeditated nature of the crime, they demanded that Yamagami be sentenced to life in prison.
Yamagami’s lawyers, however, argued that his sentence should not exceed 20 years, citing his troubled childhood and claiming that his actions were driven by anger at the Unification Church, which they said had destroyed his family.
Motivation Linked to the Unification Church
Court statements revealed that Yamagami harbored intense resentment toward the Unification Church.
His mother had donated nearly ¥100 million (around $633,000) to the organization, leaving the family in financial ruin.
Yamagami admitted targeting Abe because he believed the former prime minister had close ties to the church’s political activities.
The trial attracted massive public attention. For the court’s 31 available seats, 685 people lined up early Wednesday morning for a lottery to attend the proceedings.
Abe’s assassination sparked a major controversy in Japan over the relationship between the Unification Church and leaders of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Following government investigations, the Tokyo District Court revoked the church’s legal status and removed its tax-exempt privileges.
In December 2022, Japan passed new legislation to curb financial exploitation in the name of donations and to protect children affected by such practices.
Abe, who served as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister (2006–2007 and 2012–2020), remained a dominant figure in Japanese politics even after stepping down.
