Man admits killing former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe
Shooter confesses to killing Japan’s longest-serving leader Shinzo Abe
- Tetsuya Yamagami admitted to the murder of Shinzo Abe on the first day of his trial in Japan.
- Yamagami, 45, was arrested in July 2022 for allegedly shooting Abe with a homemade gun during an election campaign speech in Nara.
- He blamed Abe for promoting the Unification Church, against which he held a grudge after his mother donated a substantial amount of money to the group.
- Yamagami's lawyer argued that the homemade weapon used did not fall under the definition of handguns in Japan's Firearms and Swords Control Act.
- The trial's commencement coincided with a summit between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Donald Trump, who described Abe as a "great friend".