Man Admits Killing Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe at Nara Trial

NARA (Japan), Oct 28 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- A man indicted for killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 pleaded guilty to the charge on Tuesday, as his long-awaited trial opened three years after the shooting, Kyodo news reported.

Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, is accused of murdering Abe, Japan’s longest-serving post-war prime minister, with a homemade firearm during an election campaign speech in western Japan.

The Nara District Court will hold a series of hearings before delivering a verdict in January.

Yamagami told investigators he acted out of resentment towards the Unification Church, which he blamed for his family’s financial ruin after his mother donated about 100 million yen (US$660,000) to the group.

Abe was targeted, investigators said, because his grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, had helped introduce the church to Japan.

The high-profile trial drew intense public interest, with 727 people queuing on Tuesday morning for 32 available public seats in the courtroom. 

The killing also exposed deep ties between the controversial religious group and members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which Abe once led.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO