Shooter Of Ex-japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Sentenced To Life In Prison

NARA (Japan), Jan 21 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced the man charged in the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 to life in prison in the case that brought attention to the Unification Church's aggressive donation solicitations and its political links, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Prosecutors had demanded the life sentence for Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, who has admitted to murdering Abe with a handmade firearm during his stump speech in the western Japan city of Nara, calling the act “an unprecedented crime in the country’s postwar history.”

During Yamagami’s trial at the Nara District Court, which uses a lay judge system, his defence counsel argued that his prison term should be no more than 20 years.

They claimed that Yamagami was a victim of harm caused by a religious group and that his “tragic” upbringing motivated him to kill Abe.

The defendant said he held a grudge against the Unification Church because his family suffered financial ruin due to his mother's large donations to the religious group, with the payout totaling 100 million yen (US$633,000).

He said he believed Abe, who was 67 when shot, was “at the centre of the Unification Church's political involvement” in Japan.

Abe, who was Japan's longest-serving prime minister, had remained an influential political figure even after he resigned in 2020.

For the high-profile trial, a total of 685 people lined up in the morning to draw lots for the 31 public seats available in the courtroom.

With the case shedding light on the Unification Church's solicitation of ruinous donations from members, a government probe was launched, leading to the Tokyo District Court's order for the church to be dissolved and stripped of its tax benefits as a religious corporation.

A law was enacted in December 2022 to regulate manipulative fundraising tactics by organisations as the suffering of children of Unification Church members -- referred to as “second-generation” followers -- drew public attention.

Scrutiny over the church's links with lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party grew, with some reportedly having received support during election campaigns.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO