(MENAFN) The individual accused of fatally shooting Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, pleaded guilty to all charges as his trial opened on Tuesday, as reported by local media.

On July 8, 2022, Tetsuya Yamagami, aged 45, allegedly fired at Abe during a campaign event held in Nara City, located in the western Kansai region of Japan.

Yamagami is said to have employed a homemade gun in the attack, resulting in Abe’s death later that same day from his wounds.

Investigators stated that Yamagami confessed "he committed the crime due to a grudge he held against the Unification Church over the financial ruin caused to his family as a result of massive donations -- likely some 100 million yen ($660,000) -- that his mother made to the group,” as reported by a news agency.

The controversial religious group, which was established in 1954 by an ardent anti-communist figure in South Korea, has since been dissolved in Japan.

The organization had previously gained backing from Abe’s grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi.

Abe’s assassination brought to light deep connections between the Unification Church and members of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

The Nara District Court is expected to deliver its verdict on the case in January 2026.

After Abe’s killing, the LDP-led government pushed for the disbandment of the religious sect in 2023, and a Japanese court officially ordered its dissolution in March this year.

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