Overview
- Yamagami, 45, admitted in court to murdering former prime minister Shinzo Abe, saying variations of “Everything is true” and “There’s no doubt that I did.”
- Proceedings at Nara District Court will run through multiple hearings this year, with the verdict scheduled for January 21, 2026, drawing intense public interest and limited courtroom seating.
- The defense is contesting weapons charges by arguing the improvised firearm falls outside Japan’s Firearms and Swords Control Act, setting up a key legal dispute alongside sentencing.
- Investigators and prosecutors say they found no evidence of third‑party involvement and that Abe’s wounds were consistent with shots from the suspect’s homemade gun.
- Motive evidence centers on Yamagami’s grudge over the Unification Church and his mother’s roughly 100 million yen in donations, a scandal that exposed LDP ties, prompted ministerial exits, tighter arms‑control rules, and a Tokyo court’s dissolution order for the church’s Japanese arm.