Tetsuya Yamagami, the gunman who assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has been found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, more than three years after the shocking daylight attack that stunned Japan and the world.
The verdict was delivered Wednesday at a court in Nara, where Judge Shinichi Tanaka described Yamagami’s actions as “despicable and extremely malicious,” noting that the attack, carried out from behind while Abe was unaware, demonstrated clear intent and premeditation.
Yamagami, 45, faced multiple charges, including murder and violations of Japan’s strict firearms laws, after using a handmade gun to shoot Abe during a campaign speech in July 2022.
While he admitted to murder at the start of the trial in October, he contested some other charges. Under Japanese law, trials continue even when defendants plead guilty.
The case drew massive public interest, with long queues forming outside the courtroom for tickets to observe proceedings.
Many attendees, like 31-year-old logistics worker Manabu Kawashima, expressed a desire to understand the man behind the crime. “What happened to former Prime Minister Abe was the incident of the century,” Kawashima said.
Prosecutors argued that Yamagami’s motive stemmed from resentment toward the Unification Church, a secretive religious sect, blaming its influence for his family’s financial ruin.
His mother had donated heavily to the church, eventually losing around 100 million yen ($1 million), leaving Yamagami deprived of higher education and emotionally scarred.
Defense lawyers requested leniency, citing “religious abuse” and personal tragedies, including the death of Yamagami’s brother.
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Despite these appeals, prosecutors emphasized the calculated and premeditated nature of the attack, highlighting that Yamagami spent years crafting the firearm and planning the assassination.
The murder not only shook Japan, a nation with some of the world’s strictest gun laws, but also exposed controversial ties between the Unification Church and prominent conservative politicians, resulting in the resignation of four ministers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Judge Tanaka also recognized the “serious consequences” of Abe’s death, noting the ongoing grief of his widow and the impact on the nation.
The assassination served as a wake-up call for Japan, where gun violence is extremely rare and security protocols were unprepared for such an attack.