Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s killer sentenced to life in prison

that man Kill the former Prime Minister of Japan Abe was sentenced to life in prison three and a half years after he shot and killed the former leader at a rally in the city of Nara in 2022.

Tetsuya Yamayama himself admit crime When the trial started last year, But the punishment he deserves divides Japanese public opinion. While many view the 45-year-old as a cold-blooded murderer, others sympathize with his rough upbringing.

Prosecutors said Mount deserved a life sentence for his “serious conduct.” Abe’s assassination shocked a country with almost no gun crime.

Hill’s defense team sought leniency, saying he was a victim of “religious abuse.”

His mother’s loyalty to the Unification Church bankrupted the family, and Yama developed a grudge against Abe after realizing the former leader’s ties to the controversial church.

Nearly 700 people lined up outside the Nara District Court on Wednesday for the sentencing hearing.

Abe’s shocking death during speech in broad daylight prompts Investigation into the Unification Church and its questionable practices, including soliciting donations from its followers that resulted in financial losses.

The case also exposed ties to politicians from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and led to the resignation of several cabinet ministers.

Journalist Hideto Suzuki, who covered all but one of Yama’s court hearings, said Yama and his family seemed “overwhelmed by despair” throughout the trial.

The mountain “exuded a sense of world-weariness and resignation,” recalled Suzuki, who began investigating the Unification Church long before Abe’s shocking murder.

“Everything is true. There is no doubt that I did it.” Shan said solemnly on the first day of his trial in October 2025. On July 8, 2022, he shot Abe twice during a political campaign event in the western city of Nara, armed with a homemade gun assembled from two metal pipes and duct tape.

The murder of Japan’s most prominent public figure at the time – Shinzo Abe remains the longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s history – sent shockwaves around the world.

Hill’s lawyers called for a prison sentence of no more than 20 years, arguing he was a victim of “religious abuse.” The court heard he hated the church because his mother donated ¥100 million (S$828,750) of his late father’s life insurance and other assets to the church.

Yamagami spoke of his dissatisfaction with Abe after seeing Abe’s video message at a church-related event in 2021, but said he initially planned to attack church executives, not Abe.

Suzuki recalled the look of disbelief on the face of Abe’s widow, Akie, when Yama said the former leader was not his main target. Her expression is “still vividly etched in my mind,” Suzuki said.

“It conveys a sense of shock, like she’s asking: Is my husband just a tool used to build grudges against religious organizations? Is that all?”

In an emotional statement read in court, Abe said the grief of losing her husband “can never be eased.”

“I just want him to live,” she said.

Founded in South Korea, the Unification Church entered Japan in the 1960s and established ties with politicians to expand its following, researchers said.

Although Abe is not a member of the church, he, like several other Japanese politicians, occasionally appears at church-related events. His grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, was also a former prime minister and was said to be close to the group due to its anti-communist stance.

In March last year, the Tokyo Court Removed the status of the church As a religious company, it was ruled that it exploited fears about the mental health of its followers to force them to buy expensive items.

The church has also caused controversy for hosting mass weddings involving thousands of couples.

Yama’s sister took the stand as a defense witness during the trial, testifying tearfully about “the tragic circumstances that she and her siblings experienced” due to their mother’s deep involvement in the church, Suzuki recalled.

“It was a very emotional moment. Almost everyone in the public gallery was crying,” he said.

But prosecutors argued there was a “leap in logic” in why the mountain blamed Abe for its resentment against the church. During the trial, the judges also asked questions that suggested they had difficulty understanding this aspect of his defence.

Observers are also divided over whether Mount’s personal tragedy warrants less punishment for his actions.

“It is difficult to overturn the prosecution’s argument that Abe did not directly harm Yama or his family,” Suzuki said.

But he believes the case on the mountain illustrates “how victims of social problems can lead to serious crime”.

“This chain must be broken and we must properly investigate the reasons for his crime,” Suzuki said.

Much of the sympathy for Yama stems from “widespread distrust and antipathy in Japan toward controversial religions such as the Unification Church,” said Rin Ushiyama, a sociologist at Queen’s University Belfast.

“Yama was undoubtedly a ‘victim’ of parental neglect and financial hardship caused by the (Unification Church), but that does not explain, much less justify, his (actions),” Ushiyama said.