The Nara District Court on Friday held its first meeting with lawyers and prosecutors to prepare for the trial of the suspected murderer of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amid tightened security, after the delivery of a suspicious package led to the cancellation of the original June proceedings.
The defendant, Tetsuya Yamagami, 43, did not attend the closed-door pretrial procedure. His first trial hearing is expected to be held next year at the earliest, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The pretrial proceedings allow court officials, prosecutors and lawyers to narrow down issues, review evidence and set the trial's schedule. Friday's meeting ended after about 20 minutes, according to Yamagami's defense team.