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Tetsuya Yamagami

Tetsuya Yamagami

Assassin / Defendant

Appears in 1 story

Notable Quotes

"It is true. There is no doubt that I did it." — First hearing, October 2025

"It's undeniable that I caused Akie Abe and Abe's family members pain for the past 3½ years because of the murder, even though I didn't have a grudge against them." — Apology in court, December 2025

Stories

Japan sentences Abe's assassin to life, closing a trial that reshaped church-state relations

Rule Changes

Sentenced to life imprisonment; considering appeal (decision expected within two weeks of January 21 verdict)

Tetsuya Yamagami shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a campaign rally in July 2022, using a homemade gun he built after his mother's donations to the Unification Church—totaling $720,000—destroyed his family. On January 21, 2026, a Nara court sentenced him to life in prison, rejecting defense arguments that his traumatic upbringing warranted leniency.

Updated Jan 24