Man pleads guilty to killing Japan’s former prime minister

A man accused of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial.

According to local media reports, 45-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami told a court in the capital Tokyo that “everything was true.”

Yamagami used a homemade gun to shoot Abe during a political campaign event in the western city of Nara in 2022.

Abe, known for his hawkish foreign policy and unique economic strategy popularly known as “Abenomics”, was hit several times and died in hospital later the same day, sending shock waves around the world.

The assassination shed light on links between Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church, better known as the “Moonies”.

Yamagami reportedly told investigators that he targeted Abe because he accused the 67-year-old of allegedly promoting the church, which left his mother and the entire family bankrupt.

He claimed that his mother donated a total of approximately 100 million yen ($660,000) as proof of her faith in the church.

The allegations led to an investigation into the church, which started in South Korea and is known for its mass weddings, and led to the resignation of four ministers.

Then in March of this year, Tokyo court ordered the dissolution of the church, removing its tax-exempt status and requiring the liquidation of its assets.

However, Yamagami’s mother, who is expected to be called as a witness, reportedly did not give up her beliefs, telling the Japanese media: The murder strengthened his faith, according to the Japan Times.

Yamagami’s trial is not expected to conclude until January, with the defendant pleading not guilty to charges of violating gun control laws. Japan’s NHK said his lawyer told the court that the homemade gun did not fall into the correct category.

Japan, where gun violence is at very low levels, has further strengthened its laws on homemade weapons since Abe’s killing.