Former Japanese PM’s murder suspect pleads guilty after three years

Tetsuya Yamagami, who was arrested in connection with the shooting death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has pleaded guilty in court.
At the first hearing at the Nara District Court on Tuesday (October 28), Yamagami calmly said, “It’s all true. I did it, there’s no doubt about it.”
Yamagami, 45, shot Shinzo Abe with a homemade weapon during an election campaign rally in Nara in July 2022. In the video, he is seen approaching from behind and firing two shots.
Yamagami appeared at the hearing wearing a black full-sleeved shirt and gray pants. He nodded occasionally, saying he understood the judge’s words and that his lawyers would look into the legal issues, the Japan Times reported.
Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, died in hospital the same day after being shot. His death has caused global mourning.
The assassination of Shinzo Abe, the architect of the economic policies known as “Abenomics” and known for his hardline foreign policy, has caused a political uproar. The incident exposed the close ties between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church (also known as “Muniz”).
Yamagami told investigators that he shot Abe because he believed Abe supported the religious group, which had financially ruined his mother and family.
Yamagami alleged that his mother had donated about 100 million yen (about $660,000) to the church as proof of her religious beliefs.