TOKYO — A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who admitted to assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to life imprisonment, closing a landmark case that exposed longstanding ties between Japan’s ruling party and the controversial Unification Church.
The Nara District Court handed down the sentence after finding Yamagami, 45, guilty of murder in the July 2022 killing of Abe, one of Japan’s most influential postwar political figures. Prosecutors had sought a life term, citing the gravity of the crime and the danger it posed to the public at a crowded campaign event.
Abe was shot on July 8, 2022, while delivering a campaign speech outside a train station in the western city of Nara. Television footage captured two gunshots as Abe raised his fist before collapsing, clutching his chest. Officials said he died almost instantly. Yamagami was apprehended at the scene.
Yamagami pleaded guilty at the start of the trial in October, telling investigators he targeted Abe to draw attention to what he described as close ties between Japanese politicians and the Unification Church, which he blamed for his family’s financial ruin and a troubled childhood.
“I had no grudge against his family and no excuse to defend myself,” Yamagami said in an earlier court session, according to NHK, as he apologized to Abe’s widow, Akie Abe.
Prosecutors argued that the attack was especially egregious because it was carried out in a public setting, endangering bystanders. Defense lawyers sought a sentence of no more than 20 years, citing Yamagami’s upbringing and the hardships he faced as the child of a church adherent.
Takashi Fujimoto, one of Yamagami’s attorneys, called the court’s decision “regrettable,” saying it failed to consider their request for clemency. He added that the defense team would consult with Yamagami about a possible appeal.
The case triggered widespread scrutiny of the Unification Church’s relationship with Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Investigations into the church’s fundraising and recruitment practices led to a court ruling that stripped its Japanese branch of tax-exempt religious status and ordered it dissolved. The church has appealed, and the case remains pending.
The National Police Agency also moved to strengthen protection for political figures in the wake of the assassination, citing vulnerabilities in security at public campaign events.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving postwar prime minister, held office for a total of nine years before stepping down in 2021. A dominant figure within the LDP, he maintained close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump and was known for his conservative views on security and historical issues. His political legacy continues through allies and protégés, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office in October as Japan’s first female leader.
Yamagami told investigators he initially planned to target the head of the Unification Church but chose Abe instead after seeing a video message Abe sent to an event linked to the church-affiliated Universal Peace Federation.
The case has drawn attention to the experiences of children of church members, particularly those affected by aggressive donation practices. Lawmakers subsequently passed legislation aimed at restricting coercive fundraising by religious and other organizations.
Investigators said Yamagami’s mother joined the church during his childhood and made large donations that eventually drove the family into bankruptcy. His lawyers said the suicide of his older brother in 2015 deepened Yamagami’s resentment toward the church.
Public reaction to the case has been mixed. Thousands signed petitions seeking leniency for Yamagami, while others sent care packages to his family and to the detention center where he is being held.
As the legal process concludes, the assassination of Shinzo Abe continues to reverberate through Japan’s political landscape, reshaping debates on religious influence, political accountability, and the security of public officials.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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