Man who shot ex-Japan PM Abe pleads guilty
What's the story
Three years after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated, the accused, Tetsuya Yamagami, has formally pleaded guilty. The 45-year-old admitted to all charges in court, including murder and violating Japan's strict gun control laws. When asked about the allegations, Yamagami simply said: "Everything is true." Abe was shot dead on July 8, 2022, while giving a campaign speech near Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City.
Case details
Unification Church accused of financial exploitation
Yamagami shot Abe using a handmade firearm. His lawyers are likely to ask for leniency, citing his mother's connection with the Unification Church, which is formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, as a major factor behind his actions. They claim this affiliation with the organization bankrupted his family through aggressive fundraising and caused him emotional and financial distress, leading to resentment against Abe.
Financial strain
Yamagami's lawyers to seek leniency
While prosecutors argue that Yamagami was fully aware of his actions, the defense will seek to establish that his mental state was severely impacted by these external factors. Abe's assassination, a shocking event in a country with low gun violence rates, exposed long-standing ties between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church. The high-profile trial is expected to have 18 hearings, with a verdict likely on January 21, 2026.
Church controversy
What is Unification Church?
The Unification Church reportedly preaches that Japan betrayed Korea because of its invasion and that it must pay for its sins. As a result, Japanese church members were pressured to donate huge sums of money to erase "negative ancestral karma," a tactic called "spiritual sales." In March 2025, a Tokyo court ordered the dissolution of the Unification Church in Japan, revoking its legal status due to allegations of manipulative fundraising, recruitment tactics, and causing harm to followers and their families.