Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - The gunman accused of killing Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe pled guilty this week, three years after the assassination in broad daylight shocked the world. Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who murdered the country’s longest-serving leader in July 2022, finally appeared in court after multiple delays, including a cancellation in 2023 caused by a suspicious item near the court building.
At a court in the western part of the country, Yamagami,
wearing a black T-shirt and led by four security officials, quietly confirmed
his guilt. "Everything is true," he stated, admitting to the murder.
However, his lawyer indicated they would contest certain
secondary charges, specifically those related to violations of arms control
laws for allegedly using a handmade weapon. Yamagami’s trial had been long
anticipated, in part due to a key legal question: whether extenuating
circumstances apply because of alleged “religious abuse” in his childhood.
The case is inextricably linked to the Unification Church,
established in South Korea in 1954, whose members are sometimes nicknamed
“Moonies.” Yamagami reportedly held a deep resentment against the Church,
believing it bankrupted his family after his mother donated approximately 100
million yen ($1 million at the time) as proof of her faith.
He allegedly targeted Abe due to the former Prime Minister’s
perceived ties to the sect. The Church has consistently denied claims that it
financially exploited members or fomented child neglect.
The slaying quickly ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between
the Church and many conservative lawmakers. Investigations into the murder led
to cascading revelations about the close relationships between the Church and
the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, prompting four ministers to resign.
Earlier this year, the Tokyo District Court responded to the
widespread public outcry by issuing a dissolution order for the Church’s
Japanese arm, concluding it caused “unprecedented damage” to society.
The assassination was also a major wake-up call for a nation
known for having some of the world’s strictest gun controls. Gun violence is so
rare in Japan that security officials at the scene failed to immediately
identify the sound made by the first shot and came to Abe’s rescue too late,
according to a subsequent police report.
This security debacle directly prompted lawmakers to pass a
bill in 2024 further strengthening arms controls to prevent people from making
homemade guns. The new rules now prohibit acts like uploading tutorial videos
on making firearms or propagating information about gun sales on social media,
under penalty of a fine or imprisonment.
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