A man who confessed to assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was sentenced to life in prison by a Japanese court on Wednesday. This case has exposed long-standing connections between Japan’s ruling party and a controversial South Korean church.
Tetsuya Yamagami, aged 45, had previously admitted to killing Abe in July 2022 during the politician’s campaign speech in Nara, a city in western Japan. Abe, a prominent figure in Japanese politics, was fatally shot while campaigning in Nara in 2022, shocking a nation known for its strict gun control laws.
Yamagami acknowledged his guilt in the murder trial that commenced in October. The Nara District Court delivered a guilty verdict on Wednesday, sentencing Yamagami to life imprisonment as requested by the prosecution.
The motive behind the assassination was revealed when Yamagami stated that he targeted Abe after watching a video message from the former prime minister to a group associated with the Unification Church. His intention was to harm the church, which he held animosity towards, and expose its connections with Abe, according to investigators.
During the trial, prosecutors pushed for a life sentence for Yamagami, while his defense team sought a maximum of 20 years in prison, citing his challenging upbringing as the child of a church follower. Although Japanese law permits the death penalty in murder cases, it is typically not pursued by prosecutors unless multiple deaths have occurred.
Following the revelation of the close relationship between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the church, the party distanced itself from the organization. Subsequent investigations led to a court decision revoking the church’s tax-exempt religious status in Japan and ordering its dissolution, a decision that the church has appealed.
The assassination prompted heightened security measures for dignitaries by the National Police Agency. Abe was shot on July 8, 2022, while addressing a crowd outside a train station in Nara. Yamagami, who was apprehended at the scene, admitted that he initially intended to target the leader of the Unification Church but switched to Abe due to the logistical challenges of approaching the former prime minister.
Yamagami expressed remorse to Abe’s widow during a court session, emphasizing that he bore no ill will towards the family and had no justification for his actions. His case also shed light on the children of Unification Church followers in Japan and influenced legislation aimed at curbing fraudulent donation solicitations by religious and other groups.
Despite the severity of his crime, thousands of individuals signed a petition advocating for leniency towards Yamagami, with some sending support packages to his relatives and the detention facility where he is being held.