A Japanese court has sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life in prison for the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, bringing legal closure to a case that stunned Japan and drew global attention.

Tetsuya Yamagami, who pleaded guilty to assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022, apologized to Abe’s family for the first time.

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.

The Japanese government has not communicated with Akie Abe, the widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, over her trip to Russia, nor does it comment on her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated.