Japan court hands life sentence to man who killed ex-PM Shinzo Abe

The man who killed former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in a rare act of gun violence has been sentenced to life imprisonment, closing a years-long legal case that sent shockwaves through Japan’s political system and society.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday that the Nara District Court handed down the sentence to Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, who admitted to assassinating Abe during an election campaign event in 2022.

Prosecutors had sought life imprisonment, calling the killing an “extremely grave incident that is unprecedented in post-war history,” Reuters reported. Defence lawyers argued for a lighter sentence, pointing to the lasting harm inflicted on Yamagami’s family by the Unification Church.

Shinzo Abe assassination: What happened in Nara

Abe was shot on 8 July 2022 while delivering a campaign speech near a railway station in the western city of Nara. Television footage showed two gunshots ringing out as the former leader raised his fist before collapsing, clutching his chest. Officials later confirmed that he died almost instantly.

Yamagami was arrested at the scene after using a crude, homemade firearm—an attack that stunned a country known for some of the world’s strictest gun control laws and exceptionally low rates of gun violence.

The court found Yamagami guilty of murder and firearms offences, endorsing the prosecution’s call for life imprisonment. His legal team had requested a sentence of no more than 20 years, citing his upbringing in a household tied to a controversial religious organisation.

Why Tetsuya Yamagami said he killed Shinzo Abe

During the trial, Yamagami told the court that his actions were driven by hatred toward the Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

He said he decided to kill Abe after seeing a video message the former prime minister had sent to a group affiliated with the church. According to his testimony, his intention was to damage the organisation and expose what he believed were its ties to Abe, rather than to target the politician over policy disagreements.

Yamagami also told the court that he initially planned to assassinate the church’s leader but changed his target because it was too difficult to get close to him.

Unification Church under scrutiny after Abe killing

The assassination triggered intense scrutiny of long-standing links between Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church.

Yamagami blamed the church for bankrupting his family through excessive donations made by his mother, a follower. He said he targeted Abe because he believed the former leader was connected to the sect, which originated in South Korea.

A subsequent government investigation found that the organisation had violated Japanese regulations by allegedly pressuring followers to make exorbitant donations. Last March, a court ordered the Japanese branch of the church to dissolve, though the sect is appealing the decision.

Political fallout for Japan’s ruling party

The case exposed deep-rooted ties between the LDP and the Unification Church, fuelling public anger. Investigators found that more than half of the party’s lawmakers had connections to the group.

Several senior figures, including a former defence minister, admitted receiving electoral support from church members. Then prime minister Fumio Kishida removed those officials from key posts and pledged to sever the party’s ties with the organisation.

However, the damage proved lasting. Public distrust grew, and voters delivered a sharp rebuke at the ballot box, handing seats to opposition parties and stripping the LDP of its parliamentary majority.

Shinzo Abe’s legacy and Japan’s political uncertainty

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, led the country from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020, stepping down due to health concerns. Even after leaving office, he remained a dominant and influential political figure.

During his tenure, Abe reshaped Japan’s security policy, pushing through major legislation in 2015 that expanded the country’s military role and its ability to support the United States. On the global stage, he cultivated close ties with Washington while seeking improved relations with Beijing, even as he worked to counter Chinese influence by strengthening alliances across the Pacific.

Since his death, Japan’s political landscape has remained unsettled. The ruling party has grappled with scandals, inflationary pressures and internal divisions amid a broader rightward shift in national politics.

The current prime minister, Abe’s protégé Sanae Takaichi, has called snap elections next month in an effort to capitalise on rising popularity and rebuild trust in the governing party.