Overview
- A district court in Nara convicted Tetsuya Yamagami and imposed a life sentence on January 21, 2026, aligning with the prosecution’s request.
- Yamagami had already admitted to the killing in October during the proceedings.
- Abe was shot on July 8, 2022 during a campaign speech in Nara, and the assailant was subdued on camera and arrested immediately.
- According to investigators and media reports, Yamagami targeted Abe over perceived links to the Unification Church, which he blamed after his mother’s large donations left the family in financial ruin.
- Post-assassination probes revealed extensive ties between the church and Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers, prompted four ministerial resignations, and led authorities to revoke the church’s tax status and move to dissolve it.