Man who assassinated former Japanese prime minister gets life in prison
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- A Japanese court sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment for assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a 2022 election campaign speech in Nara, with Yamagami pleading guilty to the murder.
- Yamagami stated he killed Abe to harm and expose the controversial Unification Church, motivated by hatred after seeing a video message Abe sent to a church-affiliated group.
- The case revealed close ties between Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Unification Church, leading to the party distancing itself from the church and the church’s Japanese branch losing its tax-exempt status and being ordered dissolved.
- Abe's assassination shocked Japan, a country with strict gun control, and prompted increased police protection measures for dignitaries.
