Man gets life imprisonment for killing ex-PM of Japan
The sentence was handed down on Wednesday by the Nara District Court, after prosecutors argued that the attack was a “grave” crime warranting the toughest available penalty.
A Japanese court has sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment for the 2022 killing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, bringing one of the country’s most shocking political trials to a close more than three years after the shooting in Nara.
The sentence was handed down on Wednesday by the Nara District Court, after prosecutors argued that the attack was a “grave” crime warranting the toughest available penalty. Public broadcaster NHK quoted the judge as describing the calculated nature of the shooting as “despicable” and “extremely malicious”.
Yamagami, 45, admitted the killing when proceedings opened in October 2025, meaning the trial focused heavily on punishment and motive rather than whether he was responsible.
The defence urged the court to show mercy, portraying Yamagami as a victim of what it called “religious abuse”. Judges heard that his family’s finances were devastated by his mother’s large donations to the Unification Church, and that he blamed Abe after linking the former leader to church-affiliated events.
Abe was shot during a campaign event on 8 July 2022 with a homemade firearm, in a country where gun violence is highly unusual. His death triggered intense scrutiny of the Unification Church’s fundraising practices and its connections with politicians—especially within the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
That scrutiny had tangible consequences. A Tokyo court later revoked the Unification Church’s status as a religious corporation in March 2025, following allegations of coercive practices linked to large financial contributions.
While many in Japan viewed the assassination as unforgivable, the case also drew sympathy from some who saw Yamagami’s personal history as a factor in how the crime unfolded—fueling debate about responsibility, trauma and the influence of controversial religious groups.
