Overview
- Testifying at the seventh hearing in Nara on Nov. 13, Tetsuya Yamagami’s mother apologized to Shinzo Abe’s family and the public and confirmed she still follows the Unification Church.
- She said she joined in 1991, donated about ¥50 million from her late husband’s life insurance within months, and ultimately gave around ¥100 million, buying items promoted by the group before declaring bankruptcy.
- Both prosecution and defense say Yamagami resented the group tied to his mother’s donations and targeted Abe after the former leader sent a video message to an affiliated organization.
- Prosecutors read a written statement from Akie Abe describing her continuing grief, while the defense argues Yamagami’s upbringing should mitigate his sentence.
- Yamagami has admitted the charges, avoided eye contact with his mother during her testimony, and the court plans to hear further testimony from her on Tuesday.