A Japanese court sentenced a man to life for the fatal 2022 shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a crime that horrified the nation and sparked controversy over the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's ties to a fringe religious group.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, was tried at the Nara District Court, in the area where Abe was killed at close range with a homemade gun while giving a roadside campaign speech ahead of an upper house election. Yamagami had pleaded guilty, according to NHK and other media.
His lawyers had sought a lesser sentence on the basis of difficult family circumstances. Yamagami told the court he targeted Abe for his ties to the group formerly known as the Unification Church, which he blamed for ruining his family by taking excessive donations from his mother.
Abe was the country's longest-serving premier when he stepped down in 2020, having made a name for his economic policies, especially the introduction of ultra-loose monetary policy, as well as for his efforts to build and maintain ties with US President Donald Trump after his first election victory.
Yet Yamagami's story of a blighted childhood drew public sympathy and prompted others to come forward with allegations against the church. A later investigation found that about half of the LDP had connections with the group, a revelation that damaged party support.
The group, now officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, is known for its mass weddings as well as for raising funds via sales of objects such as religious texts and urns at inflated prices.
A Tokyo court last year ordered the dissolution of the church, which has a history of legal rulings against it over its fundraising methods. The group has appealed against the move, which would strip it of its tax-free status as a religion.
Yamagami's sentencing comes just as current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, an Abe protege, prepares to call a snap general election. Takaichi, who hails from Nara, visited a memorial to Abe before welcoming South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on a visit to the western prefecture earlier this month.
Also Read: Shinzo Abe Assassination: Accused Killer Tetsuya Yamagami Pleads Guilty In Japanese Court
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