A court in western Japan has sentenced Yamagami Tetsuya to life in prison for fatally shooting former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo more than three years ago.
The Nara District Court delivered its ruling on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
Yamagami, 45, is charged with using a handmade gun to fatally shoot Abe, who was speaking at an outdoor political event in Nara City on July 8, 2022.
Yamagami says he considered Abe to be a central link between the political world and the religious organization widely known as the Unification Church. He says his mother had given substantial amounts of money to the group, bringing their family to the brink of financial ruin.
Prosecutors sought life
Prosecutors demanded life imprisonment. They say circumstances in the defendant's life had an extremely limited influence on his actions.
But Yamagami's lawyers wanted a prison term of no more than 20 years. They say he is a victim of "abuse related to religion" who deserves the chance to rehabilitate. And they say he is someone who was in despair after losing his future.
The trial began on October 28 last year. Yamagami admitted to all charges, including murder, on the first day. His defense counsel, seeking a lighter sentence, said he would not dispute the facts.
There have been 15 court sessions, the last one taking place in December.
Yamagami's mother testified in November. "I thought the donations were more important than my children's education," she said. "I think I am the perpetrator."
Defendant wanted revenge
Yamagami was questioned on five occasions. He admitted to feeling as if he should no longer be alive in light of the trouble he has caused.
He also admitted to having a desire for revenge following the suicide of his brother, who opposed their mother's faith, in 2015.
Yamagami also revealed that a video message he saw from Abe to an affiliate of the religious group had filled him with despair.
The last round of questioning saw Yamagami offer an apology to Abe's family, including widow Akie. The defendant said they must have been devastated in the three and a half years since the former prime minister was killed.
Source link:https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/4539/
