The man who killed Japan’s former prime minister has been sentenced to life in prison – National
On Wednesday, a Japanese court sentenced a man who confessed to killing former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to life in prison.
The case exposed decades of cozy relations between Japan’s ruling party and South Korea’s controversial church.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, previously admitted to killing Abe in July 2022 when the prime minister gave a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.
Abe, one of Japan’s most influential politicians, was working as a general counsel after stepping down as prime minister when he was killed. It shocked a nation that held guns tightly.
Yamaguchi told investigators he was motivated by a desire to expose Japanese politicians’ ties to the Unification Church, which he accused of encouraging his mother to ignore him during his difficult upbringing.
Yamagami pleaded guilty to murder in a trial that began in October. The Nara District Court announced on Wednesday that it had entered a guilty verdict and sentenced Yamagami to life in prison, as prosecutors had requested.
Takashi Fujimoto, one of the defendants’ lawyers, said the decision did not take into account their request for clemency due to the defendant’s difficult upbringing and was “sad.” He added that Yamagami’s legal team will consider the appeal after consulting with their client.
Shooter said he was motivated by the hatred of a violent church
Yamagami said he killed Abe after seeing a video message the former leader sent to a group affiliated with the Unification Church. He added that his intention was to harm the church, which he hates, and to expose its relationship with Abe, investigators said.
Prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment for Yamagami, noting the seriousness of the attack and the danger it caused in a busy campaign area. His lawyers are seeking a sentence of no more than 20 years, citing his problems as a child of the church.
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Japanese law allows the death penalty for murder, but prosecutors rarely seek it unless at least two people are killed.
The disclosure of the close relationship between the ruling party Liberal Democratic Party and the church made the party withdraw from the church. It led to an investigation into the church’s fundraising and recruitment practices that culminated in a court ruling that stripped the Japanese branch of the church of its tax-exempt religious status and ordered it to be dissolved.
The church has appealed the case, pending a decision.
The police killings also led the National Police Agency to increase police protection for the elite.
Abe was one of Japan’s most influential politicians
Abe was Japan’s longest-serving post-war leader, serving nine years before stepping down in 2021. He led the ruling party’s largest party and formed a friendship with US President Donald Trump.
Abe is remembered for his strong views on security and historical issues, and was supported by right-wing groups including the Unification Church. Similar views are now represented by his protégé Sanae Takaichi, who took office in October as Japan’s first female prime minister.
The investigation into Abe’s assassination revealed close ties between his ruling party and the church, dating back to the 1960s anti-communist movement supported by Abe’s grandfather, former prime minister Nobusuke Kishi.
Shooting at a crowded election campaign site
Abe was shot on July 8, 2022, while giving a speech outside a train station in Nara. In images captured by television cameras, two gunshots rang out as the politician raised his fist. He collapsed clutching his chest, his shirt covered in blood. Officials say Abe died almost instantly.
Yamagami was captured on the spot. He said he initially planned to kill the leader of the Unification Church but changed his direction to Abe because of the difficulty of getting close to the leader.
He told the court last year that he singled out Abe as a role model for communication between Japanese politics and the church, according to NHK.
Yamagami apologized to Abe’s widow, Akie Abe, at a previous court hearing, saying he had no hatred for his family and had no excuse to protect her, NHK said.
Yamagami won sympathy from the church’s skeptics
Yamagami’s case and his childish comments brought attention to other children of Unification Church followers, and influenced legislation aimed at limiting predatory solicitation by religious groups and others.
Investigators say Yamagami’s mother joined the church when she was young, and began donating large amounts of money that eventually led to the family’s demise, as she neglected her and her two siblings.
Experts say that Japanese followers have been asked to pay for the “sins” committed by their ancestors when Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula in 1910-1945, and that most of the funding of the world church comes from Japan.
The church has acknowledged the excessive donations but says the problem has decreased since it made changes in 2009.
Yamagami survived the suicide attempt, but his older brother’s suicide in 2015 took a toll on him, apparently causing him to deepen his grudge against the church, his lawyers said.
His case drew attention to the plight of children of religious followers, “but the seriousness of the damage is still not fully understood,” said Fujimoto, the lawyer.
Thousands of people have signed a petition seeking compensation for Yamagami, while others have sent care packages to his relatives and the facility where he is being held.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
