A Japanese court has sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment for the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a killing that shocked the country and the world.
Prosecutors told the court that Yamagami’s actions amounted to a grave crime that warranted the maximum penalty, noting that Abe was fatally shot during a campaign rally in Nara, in a country where gun violence is extremely rare.
In his defence, Yamagami was said to have pleaded guilty but asked for leniency, with his lawyers arguing that he was a victim of religious abuse linked to his mother’s involvement with the Unification Church, which they said ruined the family financially.
The court heard that Yamagami harboured resentment against Abe over the former leader’s perceived ties to the church, although judges and prosecutors questioned the logic of directing that anger at Abe, ultimately ruling that personal hardship did not justify the killing.