Man Accused of Fatal Shooting of Ex-PM Abe Gets Indefinite Term

Nara, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–A district court in western Japan on Wednesday issued an indefinite prison sentence to the man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. Nara District Court handed down the indefinite sentence to Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, as sought by public prosecutors. Yamagami was indicted on murder and other charges after Abe was shot dead in the city of Nara on July 8, 2022, while delivering a stump speech ahead of a House of Councillors election. Prior to the ruling, 685 people gathered outside the court to apply for the 31 available gallery seats, according to the court. During the trial, the defense argued that, given Yamagami’s 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. The defense also claimed that Yamagami’s homemade guns were not considered handguns under the firearms and swords control law. In its closing argument last December, the prosecution described the crime as “an extremely serious offense unprecedented in Japan’s postwar history.” The prosecution asserted that Yamagami’s upbringing had limited influence on his actions, stating, “Resorting to violence to damage a specific organization is absolutely unacceptable in a law-governed country, and criminal liability should not be reduced.” The defense emphasized that Yamagami felt a “strong sense of crisis and hopelessness” after viewing a video message from Abe to a group linked to the Unification Church. 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.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]