Prosecutors demand life sentence for shooter of former Japan PM Abe

TOKYO – Prosecutors on Dec 18 sought life imprisonment for the man

standing trial over the fatal shooting of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe

in 2022 that shed light on the controversial Unification Church and its dubious links to politicians.

Tetsuya Yamagami admitted to murdering Mr Abe during his trial at the Nara District Court, saying he held a grudge against the church because of the financial ruin his family suffered owing to his mother’s heavy donations to the religious group.

The 45-year-old defendant is accused of fatally shooting Mr Abe with a handmade firearm during an election stump speech by the former prime minister in the western Japan city of Nara on July 8, 2022, according to the indictment and other sources.

The ruling will be handed down on Jan 21, 2026.

Prosecutors said Yamagami believed that shooting Mr Abe, who sent a video message to an event hosted by a group closely associated with the church, would direct “attention and criticism” at the organisation.

They said the defendant’s difficult upbringing should not be used to justify a reduced sentence.

Yamagami’s defence counsel said he resented the church because his mother had donated 100 million yen (S$828,750) to it, forcing his family into bankruptcy, something that should be considered in mitigation of his sentence.

It was revealed during the trial that Yamagami’s mother joined the religious group in 1991 after her husband died by suicide in 1984.

The defendant also attempted to kill himself in 2005 and his older brother, resentful of their mother’s large donations, took his own life in 2015.

Yamagami said he initially targeted Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, but as the coronavirus pandemic made it difficult for Mr Han to visit Japan, he changed his focus to Mr Abe, who had sent the video message.

He said he believed Mr Abe, who was 67 when he was shot, was “at the centre of the Unification Church’s political involvement” in Japan.

Mr Abe had remained an influential political figure even after his resignation in 2020.

As Yamagami’s motivations became clear following his arrest, scrutiny of the links between lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the church grew, with some party members reportedly having received support during election campaigns.

It also led to a government probe into the Unification Church over its solicitation of financially ruinous donations from members.

Following a request from the central government, the Tokyo District Court in March issued an order for the church to be dissolved, stripping it of tax benefits as a religious corporation. KYODO NEWS