Ex-Japanese PM Abe’s killer pleads guilty

On Tuesday, October 27, 2025, 45-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami admitted in the Nara District Court that he committed the murder.

"It is true. There is no doubt that I did it,” he said.

At the center of this high-profile trial is the question of whether the court will show leniency, taking into account the defense’s position. The defense argues that Yamagami’s character and behavior were shaped by his upbringing, marked by religious abuse.

According to his lawyer, Yamagami’s mother, a follower of the Unification Church (which has questionable connections with politicians), donated 100 million yen (approximately $660,000) to the organization. She is among 12 witnesses expected to testify before the court delivers its verdict on January 21.

The defense further stated that Yamagami developed a strong sense of revenge against the religious group, as his life and that of his family depended on it.

They noted that the donations drove his mother to bankruptcy, creating emotional strain for Yamagami, who felt helpless in the situation and developed a pessimistic view of society.

The prosecution, meanwhile, argued that Yamagami harbored anger toward the Unification Church after his mother joined it. They claim he decided to murder to draw attention to the organization’s activities.

Prosecutors noted that the consequences of the crime were unprecedented for postwar Japan and added that the defendant’s difficult childhood cannot justify significant leniency in sentencing.

Investigative sources reported that Abe was chosen as a target because his grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, helped promote the Unification Church in Japan after its founding in South Korea in 1954.

Throughout the trial, the defense lawyer argued that Yamagami’s upbringing should be taken into account. It emerged that he lost his father in 1984, several years before his mother joined the religious group in 1991.

In addition, his older brother, outraged by their mother’s large donations, committed suicide in 2015, and Yamagami himself attempted suicide in 2005.

“Yamagami was also indicted for causing damage to a building from test-firing and violating laws regulating firearms, explosives and the manufacture of weapons,” Kyodo News added.

Returning to the former prime minister, Kyodo News noted that the Unification Church came under close scrutiny because of its ties to members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Abe, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020.

Assassination attempt on Abe

The assassination attempt on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took place on July 8, 2022, in the city of Nara.

While Abe was giving a speech, a man fired at him. Abe immediately lost consciousness and was hospitalized. Reports indicated that he was shot in the chest and neck area.

The shooter was immediately apprehended by the police. It is known that he previously served in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.