Ex-PM Abe’s Killer Gets Indefinite Term

Nara, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–The man who killed former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was given an indefinite prison term on Wednesday for the fatal shooting with a homemade gun in the western Japan city of Nara in 2022. Nara District Court handed down the sentence to Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, as sought by public prosecutors. Abe was shot dead in the city on July 8, 2022, while delivering a stump speech ahead of a House of Councillors election. As Yamagami had admitted to the murder charge, the severity of the sentence was the main point of contention. Presiding Judge Shinichi Tanaka described the crime as “despicable and extremely malicious,” adding that the defendant’s background could not be said to have had “a great impact on his decision to commit murder.” During the lay-judge trial of Yamagami, the defense argued that, given his troubled background related to the controversial religious group Unification Church, with which Abe allegedly had ties, his sentence should be no more than 20 years. In a statement after the verdict, the defense said that it would decide whether to appeal the day’s ruling following discussions with the defendant. In the ruling, the court acknowledged that Yamagami’s upbringing was behind the incident but said that “there was no fault on the part of Abe, and the crime was based on short-sighted and self-centered decision-making.” “There is a leap” in the explanation that Yamagami’s anger at the Unification Church led to the shooting, and “there is little room for leniency,” it continued. “The crime was extremely dangerous and malicious, as Yamagami fired a homemade gun twice in a scene where there were about 300 spectators,” it added. “This seriously violated public peace and safety.” Additionally, the court concluded that the shooting had been highly planned, as the homemade gun was prepared over a period of about one and a half years. The defense had argued that Yamagami’s homemade weapons were not considered handguns under the firearms and swords control law. But the court rejected this claim, recognizing the homemade guns as “powerful enough to kill or injure a person.” Prior to the ruling, 685 people gathered outside the court to apply for the 31 available gallery seats, according to the court. During the three-month trial, which began last October, Yamagami’s mother and sister testified as defense witnesses. Yamagami said in a court hearing that targeting Abe was a “mistake.” According to the ruling, Yamagami fired a homemade gun at Abe twice from close range on a street in Nara, causing the former prime minister to bleed to death. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]