Former Japanese PM Abe’s murderer receives life sentence

On Jan. 21, Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, the man who assassinated Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 with a homemade firearm, was sentenced to life in prison, CNN reported, citing NHK.

Yamagami fatally shot Abe on July 8, 2022, while the politician was delivering a speech at a campaign event in Nara. He was arrested at the scene and charged with murder and firearms offenses the following year.

The reported reason for the assassination is Abe’s connection to the Unification Church, a South Korea-based religious organization, which Yamagami blamed for his family’s financial hardship after his mother made substantial donations.

Yamagami pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial, Oct. 28, 2025.

According to NHK World, the prosecution requested a life sentence, whereas the attorneys sought a sentence not exceeding 20 years, citing Yamagami being a victim of religious abuse and claiming he deserved a chance at rehabilitation and was someone who fell into despair after losing his future.