Prosecutors in Abe Shooter Case Battle Conspiracy Theories

Tokyo, Dec. 18 (Jiji Press)–Prosecutors in the criminal trial of Tetsuya Yamagami for the murder of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe carefully sought to prove the defendant’s responsibility for the attack, appearing to partly hope to dispel conspiracy theories. Rumors, such as that the shooting of Abe in the western city of Nara in July 2022 was carried out by a sniper instead of Yamagami, have been spread online. The defendant himself apologized in court for these conspiracy theories. The prosecution argued that the 45-year-old defendant used a homemade, two-barrel pipe gun capable of firing six 9-millimeter bullets at once and fired twice at Abe, missing him the first time but fatally hitting him the second time. The doctor who conducted Abe’s judicial autopsy testified that two bullets entered the victim’s body from his left upper arm and neck. The bullet that entered through his left upper arm damaged a major artery under the collarbone, leading to near-instantaneous death, the doctor said. Meanwhile, the bullet that entered through his neck was not fatal and found lodged in the right humerus after passing through the right chest, the doctor added. Theories that a sniper killed Abe are partially based on the fact that the bullet that entered through the neck was found in his right upper arm at a downward angle. “This is not strange if (the victim) was holding a microphone up with his right arm,” the doctor said, refuting the conspiracy theories. Regarding the fact that the bullet that entered Abe’s left upper arm was not found, which is also cited by these theories, the doctor explained that the projectile was sucked out with blood during life-saving procedures. A police officer who examined the shooting scene also testified in court, showing a chart of the bullet trajectories and saying that some were found in a campaign car on the other side of Abe from the perspective of Yamagami. The officer added that a bullet damaged a lawmaker badge worn by Abe and that a bullet may have grazed the hair of a Liberal Democratic Party official near the former prime minister. In its closing argument on Thursday, the prosecution said that Yamagami had researched how to make weapons and gunpowder online and “made it known to the world that they can be produced easily without special qualifications or knowledge.” “We did not particularly think about conspiracy theories,” said a senior official of the Nara District Public Prosecutors Office. “Theories that another person is the culprit will likely lose traction through our careful arguments.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]