Court in Nara sentences Shinzo Abe’s killer to life in prison

Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday by a district court in Nara for assassinating Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, after admitting he shot Mr. Abe with a homemade gun at a political rally in 2022. The court found Mr. Yamagami guilty of several crimes, including murder and violating gun control laws.

He did not contest the charges at the outset of the trial, telling the court in October, “Everything is true.” Inside the courtroom for the verdict he looked down and showed no visible reaction. Mr. Yamagami told the court he shot Mr. Abe because he perceived him as supporting the Unification Church, which he said had bankrupted his family by forcing his mother to hand over her savings.

His lawyers argued for a sentence of no more than 20 years, citing his difficult childhood and the family’s hardships, while prosecutors pushed for life, saying an assassination of a former state leader was unprecedented in modern Japanese history. The trial, which lasted about two months and focused on punishment, divided public opinion and drew large public interest; nearly 700 people lined up for courtroom tickets and 33 members of the public were allowed inside.

The assassination prompted renewed scrutiny of the Unification Church — a Tokyo court last year ordered the Japanese branch dissolved and the church has appealed — and Mr. Abe’s widow, Akie Abe, read a statement in court asking Mr. Yamagami to atone; Mr.

Key Topics

World, Tetsuya Yamagami, Shinzo Abe, Unification Church, Nara, Life Sentence