Japanese court sentences Abe’s assassin to life in prison

(MENAFN) A Japanese court on Wednesday handed a life prison sentence to Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who killed former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, calling the attack “vile and extremely vicious.”

Yamagami, 45, admitted to murdering Abe in 2022 using a homemade firearm during a campaign event in Nara, as stated by reports. He was convicted of murder and violating gun-discharge laws.

The court heard that Yamagami harbored resentment toward the Unification Church, with which Abe was linked, blaming the group for his family’s financial hardships caused by his mother’s large donations.

During the trial, his lawyers argued that his prison term should be capped at 20 years, citing his difficult upbringing and alleged victimization by the church as motives for the killing. They also claimed that his improvised firearm was not covered under the law at the time.

Abe’s assassination triggered a government investigation into the Unification Church’s fundraising practices, eventually leading to its dissolution and new legislation restricting coercive donations. Abe, who died at age 67, had been Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, holding office in 2006–2007 and 2012–2020.

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