The Nara District Court has sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of murdering former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Kyodo News reports, citing RIA Novosti.
Yamagami's defense team requested a 20-year prison term, citing the difficult conditions of his childhood and the alleged connection between Abe and the Unification Church, which they claimed was the reason for the crime.
However, the prosecution rejected these arguments, stating that at the time of the murder, when Yamagami was 41 years old, he was capable of adequately assessing his actions.
Shinzo Abe was assassinated on July 8, 2024, during an election rally in Nara Prefecture. Yamagami shot him twice with a homemade weapon, resulting in fatal injuries to Abe's neck and chest, leading to his death from blood loss.
As a motive for his actions, Yamagami pointed to Abe's connection with the Unification Church. His mother made a donation of 100 million yen (approximately $740,000), which led to financial difficulties and the breakdown of the Yamagami family.
