Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, has admitted to the shooting death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “It’s true that I did it,” Yamagami said in court, acknowledging the charges read by prosecutors, according to NHK.
He appeared at the Nara District Court wearing a black T-shirt and gray pants, with his long hair tied back in a ponytail. Yamagami is accused of shooting Abe with a homemade firearm during an election speech in Nara in July 2022.
Authorities say Yamagami harbored a grudge against the controversial Unification Church, a religious movement he believed had close ties to Abe and other politicians. He told officials that his family’s financial collapse was caused by his mother’s massive donations to the church, founded in South Korea in 1953.
The court hearing coincided with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Japan, during which he described Abe as “a good friend of mine and a good friend of yours.” Trump’s visit marked his first meeting with a foreign leader since his 2016 election victory, highlighting the close bond between the two.
