The Nara District Court is likely to hand down its ruling in the trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, the man charged with the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on Jan. 21, 2026, it was learned Thursday.
The ruling will be delivered after 18 days of trial under a lay judge that is scheduled to begin on Oct. 28, court sources said.
Yamagami, 45, is accused of murdering Abe and violating the firearms and swords control law.
According to the indictment and other sources, Yamagami shot Abe twice at close range with a homemade gun made from pipes near Kintetsu Railway's Yamato-Saidaiji Station in the city of Nara on July 8, 2022. The former prime minister was delivering a street speech in support of an election candidate for the Upper House.
Yamagami is also alleged to have manufactured six guns without permission.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.