Japan trial: Suspect admits killing former PM Shinzo Abe in first court hearing
Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, admitted to murder Tuesday during the first hearing of his trial, three years after the shocking assassination of Japan’s longest-serving premier.
Yamagami, 45, was arrested at the scene in July 2022 after allegedly firing a homemade gun while Abe was giving an election campaign speech in Nara, western Japan, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“It is true that I did it,” Yamagami told the court, appearing calm in a black sweatshirt and grey trousers, according to NHK.
A lawyer for Yamagami asked the court to reduce his punishment, arguing the homemade gun does not qualify under Japan’s Firearms and Swords Control Act.
Yamagami reportedly blamed Abe for promoting the Unification Church, a religious group against which he held a personal grudge after his mother donated around 100 million yen ($660,000). The scandal revealed ties between over 100 lawmakers of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and the Church, impacting public support for the ruling party.
The high-profile trial coincided with a summit between Japan’s current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump. Up to 17 more hearings are scheduled through the end of 2025, with a verdict expected January 21, 2026.
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