Tetsuya Yamagami Convicted of Shinzo Abe Assassination Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

Tokyo, Jan 2026 : A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami, the man convicted of assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, to life imprisonment, calling the act “vile and extremely vicious” due to the use of a homemade firearm with sufficient lethal power. The verdict was delivered by the Nara District Court, which accepted the prosecution’s demand for the maximum sentence, Japanese media reported.

Yamagami, 45, admitted to fatally shooting Abe while the former prime minister was addressing a campaign gathering in Nara. The shocking attack, carried out in broad daylight during a public speech, stunned Japan and the international community, given the country’s strict gun control laws and long-standing reputation for public safety.

During the trial, Yamagami’s defence team argued for a reduced sentence of no more than 20 years. His lawyers portrayed him as a victim of personal hardship, citing a “tragic” upbringing and claiming that his actions were driven by deep resentment toward the Unification Church, a religious group they said had caused severe financial harm to his family. According to the defence, Yamagami’s mother had made large donations to the church, amounting to approximately 100 million yen (about USD 633,000), plunging the family into financial distress.

Yamagami told the court that he believed Shinzo Abe was closely linked to the Unification Church’s political activities in Japan and viewed the former prime minister as being “at the centre” of the organisation’s influence. Prosecutors, however, maintained that personal grievances could not justify an act of political violence and emphasised the calculated nature of the attack, including the preparation and use of a homemade weapon.

The court found Yamagami guilty of murder as well as violating the gun discharge provisions under Japan’s Firearms and Swords Control Law. The defence had argued that the homemade firearm used in the killing was not explicitly covered under the law at the time, but the court rejected this claim, ruling that the weapon clearly fell within the scope of prohibited arms.

The assassination triggered nationwide scrutiny of the Unification Church and its fundraising practices. In response, the Japanese government launched an investigation into the organisation, which later led to the Tokyo District Court ordering the church to be dissolved and stripped of its tax-exempt religious status. In 2022, Japan also enacted legislation aimed at curbing manipulative fundraising methods, particularly after public attention focused on the suffering of children of church members, often referred to as “second-generation” followers.

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, died at the age of 67. Born into a prominent political family, he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1993 and served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 before returning to office in 2012. He stepped down in 2020 due to health concerns, leaving behind a significant and controversial political legacy.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)