Man who killed former Japanese PM apologizes to family

The man accused of assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has apologized for the first time to the former leader’s family.

Tetsuya on the mountain, who earlier pleaded guilty to murderIn court on Thursday, he expressed “deep regret” for Abe’s widow, Akie.

Yama shot Abe with a homemade gun on July 8, 2022, at a political campaign event in the western city of Nara. He died in hospital that day.

Abe’s death shocked the world. He is known for his tough foreign policy and signature economic strategy popularly known as “Abenomics.”

“I have caused (the family) three and a half years of pain… I have no excuse,” Shan told the court on Thursday, local media reported.

He reportedly told investigators that he attacked Abe because he accused the former prime minister of allegedly promoting the Unification Church, which the mountain said bankrupted his mother and entire family.

The allegations on the mountain have sparked an investigation into the Unification Church, which originated in South Korea and is known for its mass weddings.

In March this year, a Tokyo court Order to dissolve the church – The church said it would “fight to the end” of the ruling.

The Unification Church had stirred controversy even before Abe’s assassination because it taught that marriage was central to spiritual salvation.

Shinzo Abe’s grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, who is also Japan’s Prime Minister, has a close relationship with the Unification Church due to its anti-communist nature. Abe himself has spoken at events related to the organization.

At last month’s hearing, prosecutors read a statement from Abe’s widow, in which she wrote: “The grief of losing my husband will not diminish.”