A Japanese court sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment on Wednesday for the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, closing a chapter on one of the most shocking political crimes in Japan’s modern history that exposed deep-rooted corruption within the country’s ruling establishment.
Judge Shinichi Tanaka of the Nara District Court handed down the verdict after a trial that began in October, rejecting defense arguments for a reduced 20-year sentence. The 45-year-old Yamagami had pleaded guilty to shooting Abe with a homemade firearm during a campaign speech in July 2022, an act that stunned a nation with strict gun control laws and virtually no gun violence.
Prosecutors requested life imprisonment rather than the death penalty, following Japanese legal convention that capital punishment typically requires at least two victims. Yamagami admitted to the killing but maintained his motive stemmed from hatred toward the Unification Church rather than personal animosity toward Abe.
The assassination triggered nationwide investigations that revealed decades of cozy relationships between Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the South Korean-founded Unification Church, widely regarded as a cult. An internal LDP probe discovered over 100 lawmakers maintained dealings with the organization, sparking significant voter backlash that weakened the party’s long-standing political dominance.
During trial proceedings, Yamagami explained that his mother’s ruinous donations to the Unification Church bankrupted their family, fueling his resentment. Unable to reach church leadership, he targeted Abe after seeing the former prime minister send a video message to an affiliated group, viewing him as symbolic of political complicity with the organization that destroyed his family.
The revelations prompted authorities to strip the church’s Japanese branch of its tax-exempt religious status and order its dissolution. Parliament subsequently passed legislation restricting malicious donation solicitations by religious groups, directly influenced by attention drawn to families suffering from aggressive fundraising tactics. The case also sparked sympathy for children of church adherents, with thousands signing petitions requesting leniency for Yamagami and supporters sending care packages to his detention facility.
Abe served as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister for 3,188 days across two terms before resigning in 2020 citing health concerns. While divisive domestically, he maintained strong relationships with world leaders including former US President Donald Trump. The life sentence leaves open technical possibility for parole under Japanese law, though legal experts note most recipients die while incarcerated.
(Source: asahi.com)
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