Tetsuya Yamagami, on trial over the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, has expressed regret over the crime he is accused of committing, saying he “should not have lived this long.”
The trial entered a critical phase Thursday as 45-year-old Yamagami took the stand at the Nara District Court for the first time and described in his own words his troubled upbringing and the misery caused by his mother’s devotion to the Unification Church, which he said changed his outlook on life forever.
A grudge Yamagami held against the church motivated him to assassinate Abe, according to prosecutors. The influential politician had contributed a friendly video message to a church-affiliated group in 2021.
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