Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was brutally gunned down in front of supporters during his campaign in 2022, but now the man accused of murdering him has come clean
The man accused of murdering a controversial world leader has admitted to carrying out the attack. He confirmed that he had killed the politician in broad daylight using a homemade shotgun.
Shinzo Abe had been Japan’s Prime Minister until 2020 and was speaking to crowds when he was murdered in front of supporters in July of 2022. The shooting took place during a rally and left the world shocked as he died instantly after being shot using the instrument.
Now, over three years on from the cold-blooded murder, the alleged gunman involved with the incident has come clean and admitted to killing Abe. He also gave his reasoning for the decision to kill the leader, pointing to perceived ties with a controversial movement.
The Sun reported that the main suspect — Tetsuya Yamagami — appeared in court on Tuesday (October 28), when he declared his guilt. Addressing the judge, he said: “Everything is true.”
Yamagami confirmed he had decided to murder Abe amid claims he was involved with the divisive Sun Myung Moon church. The church, whose followers are often referred to as ‘Moonies’, is accused of financially exploiting its members and fostering child neglect.
In a hearing during the trial, prosecutors explained that Yamagami, now aged 45, had resented the church, believing it was responsible for the turmoil he was feeling in his life at the time. They added that he had wanted to exact revenge on the church, but could not get his own gun and thus had to improvise.
One of the prosecutors added that Yamagami “thought he could draw public attention to the church, if he killed someone as influential as Abe”. Abe had been linked to the church after the ex-leader spoke at events that had been organised by the church, resulting in him being heavily criticised.
Defence lawyers had said the church had destroyed his life, adding that his mother had been a member and was “throwing all her money and assets” into the sect. According to Yamagami’s legal team, she had spent their savings on the church in the hopes it could bring their family together after her husband took his own life.
By the end of proceedings, the mother had given around 100 million Japanese yen (£495,200) to the church. She would eventually declare herself bankrupt, while Yamagami opted to give up his dream of going to university and instead joined the military.
But despite his attempts to get away from the church, this failed and in 2005, Yamagami had attempted to take his own life, but ultimately could not go through with it. His lawyers would go on to say: “He began to think his whole life was ruined by the church.”
Abe was eventually airlifted to hospital following the attack where he was shot in the chest. Despite doctors’ best efforts, the politician was declared dead just hours after the incident, including attempts to give the leader a blood transfusion.
His death was officially ruled an assassination, the first time that a prime minister had been killed in the country since the 1930s. The cause of death was ruled as being caused by bleeding out as a result of deep wounds to the neck and a bullet to the heart.
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