Former Japan PM Abe's assassin pleads guilty, citing grudge against unification church

Testsuya Yamagami, the man suspected of assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, formally pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday, October 28.

On July 8, 2022, Abe was assassinated while addressing at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaji Station in Nara City, Nara Prefecture.

During the court hearing, the 45-year-old defendant accepted all the charges against him with a stark admission.

As reported by the Kyodo news agency, Yamagami stated, “Everything is true.”

Resultantly, court confirmed all accusations on the criminal as he fired a homemade gun at the Japan’s longest-served prime minister who later died from his injuries.

Yamagami now faces charges of murder and violations of Japan’s strict arms control laws for manufacturing and using the improvised firearm.

The murderer also opened up about his motive, citing he had a deep-seated grudge against the Unification Church, now officially known as the “Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.”

He further added that his family faced extreme financial ruin as his mother donated a huge amount of money to the church, which he believed had close ties to Abe and other politicians in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Following the assassination, the church gained national spotlight, revealing its long-controversial practices.

For decades, the group has faced hundreds of lawsuits in Japan from “second-generation” followers and their families, who accuse it of engaging in “spiritual sales” and manipulating members into making excessive donations.

The release of the wide association of the LDP with the church was a major political scandal to the ruling party.

In response, the government under then-Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, proposed and enacted new laws to combat malicious solicitation of donations by religious and other organizations.

The Nara proceedings are expected to be completed in mid-December and a decision is expected to be made. The trial will be deemed to examine the facts of the assassination as well as the intricate personal issues and social issues that Yamagami cites caused him to execute the offense.