Abe Shooter’s Ill-Fated Background Denied as Key Factor

Nara, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese court ruling that sentenced the man who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to life in prison denies that the man’s ill-fated family background was a key factor that drove him to commit the act. In its ruling on Wednesday against defendant Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, Nara District Court made no mention of “abuse related to religion,” which his defense believes he was subjected to, or the magnitude of the social impact of the incident claimed by prosecutors. Yamagami shot Abe with a homemade gun while the former prime minister was delivering a stump speech in the western city of Nara ahead of a House of Councillors election in 2022. Referring to Yamagami’s background, the ruling said, “he became unable to find a haven within the family” after his mother became a follower of the controversial religious group known as the Unification Church. The mother donated large amounts of money to the religious group, with which Abe allegedly had ties, putting her family in a difficult financial situation. The court “does not find it impossible to understand” the intense anger Yamagami harbored against the religious group after his brother’s suicide. However, the court questioned a connection between the anger and his decision to commit murder and production of homemade guns, saying “there is a huge leap” between them. Yamagami had opportunities to decide not to commit murder, including when his plans to attack senior Unification Church members failed, the court said, criticizing him for his “conspicuous attitude of justifying his criminal acts and disrespecting others’ lives.” Usually, the severity of a court sentence is roughly decided based on facts related to the crime, such as circumstances, outcomes and motives, and adjusted later by taking into consideration other facts. The defense claimed that Yamagami’s troubled family background is directly linked to his motive. The court said it is undeniable the incident occurred on the backdrop of the family situation, which served as a remote cause. But it denied that his circumstances had a major impact on his decision making in the case. Furthermore, the court referred to the maliciousness of his act of shooting Abe from behind, a danger that people other than Abe could have fallen victim and the premeditation that led him to produce homemade guns. Compared with other cases in which firearms were used, this is considered “one of the most serious cases” and thus life imprisonment is deemed appropriate, the ruling said. Meanwhile, the court did not refer to the social impact of the case. Following the ruling, one of the lay judges in the trial told reporters, “I tried not to think about (Abe’s status) as a former prime minister so that no irrelevant factors would come into play in making judgment.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]