Japanese prosecutors on Thursday demanded a life sentence for Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of assassinating former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, arguing that the killing was a deliberate act meant to shock the nation and force scrutiny of a religious organisation.
Yamagami, 45, is on trial at the Nara District Court for murder and related charges after fatally shooting Abe at close range during an election campaign speech in the city of Nara. He has previously admitted responsibility for the killing.
Prosecutors said Yamagami targeted Abe because of the former leader’s perceived ties to the Unification Church, a religious group that has long courted conservative politicians.
Abe had sent a video message to an event hosted by an organisation closely linked to the church.
According to prosecutors, Yamagami believed the assassination would draw public attention and criticism toward the group, which he blamed for his family’s financial collapse due to his mother’s large donations.
They rejected arguments for leniency based on Yamagami’s troubled upbringing, saying personal hardship could not excuse an act that “deliberately took a human life and endangered public order.”
AloJapan.com