More than three years after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the trial of the man who is accused of killing one of Japan’s most consequential but divisive leaders with a homemade gun is about to begin.
On Tuesday, the Nara District Court will begin hearing the criminal case against Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, charged with murdering Abe in July 2022. He is also charged with violating the firearms and sword law.
Yamagami, who allegedly fired two shots at Abe — one of them fatal — during a stump speech in the city of Nara, has told investigators that he targeted the former prime minister over his ties to the South Korea-based Unification Church, whose followers are known as “Moonies.” The group is known for mass weddings and aggressive donation-seeking tactics.
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