A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life in prison for the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, bringing a legal conclusion to a case that stunned the country and reverberated through its political system. Abe, Japan's longest-serving leader, was shot dead in July 2022 while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.
Yamagami, 45, admitted to killing Abe with a homemade gun and did not contest his guilt during the trial. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, calling the attack an unprecedented crime in post-war Japan, while the defence argued for a lesser term of up to 20 years, citing personal hardship and family trauma linked to the Unification Church.
Handing down the verdict, Judge Shinichi Tanaka described the shooting as "despicable" and said firing a gun into a crowd was "extremely dangerous and malicious," according to public broadcaster NHK. Yamagami's lawyers said they would consult with him on whether to appeal.
Although no longer prime minister at the time of his death, Abe remained a dominant force within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). His killing created a power vacuum that led to repeated leadership contests and weakened the party's grip on government, despite Abe's former protégé Sanae Takaichi now leading both the LDP and the country.
The case also brought renewed scrutiny to ties between the LDP and the Unification Church, after Yamagami said he targeted Abe over the former leader's links to groups affiliated with the church. Subsequent investigations revealed widespread connections between lawmakers and the organisation, further damaging public trust in a party that has governed Japan for most of the post-war era.