Man accused of killing ex-Japan PM makes first apology

The man accused of assassinating former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe apologized to the former leader’s family for the first time.

Tetsuya Yamagami, who previously pleaded guilty to murder, told the court Thursday that he felt “deep sorrow” for Abe’s widow, Akie.

Yamagami shot and killed Abe with a homemade gun during a political campaign event in the western city of Nara on July 8, 2022. He died in hospital the same day.

Abe’s death sent shockwaves around the world. He was known for his hawkish foreign policy and distinctive economic strategy, popularly known as “Abenomics”.

“I caused [the family] Three and a half years of suffering… I have no excuses,” Yamagami told the court on Thursday, according to local media reports.

He reportedly told investigators he attacked Abe because he accused the former prime minister of allegedly supporting the Unification Church, which Yamagami said bankrupted his mother and wider family.

Yamagami’s allegations led to the launch of investigations into the Unification Church, which started in South Korea and is known for its mass weddings.

In March this year, a court in Tokyo ordered the dissolution of the church; He said the church would “fight to the end” for this decision.

The Unification Church had courted controversy even before Abe’s assassination because it taught that marriage was central to spiritual salvation.

Abe’s grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, who was also the prime minister of Japan, was known to be close to the Unification Church due to his anti-communist nature. Abe had personally spoken at events related to the group.

At a hearing last month, prosecutors read a statement from Abe’s widow in which she wrote: “The pain of losing a husband will not go away.”