A Japanese court has sentenced a 45-year-old Japanese national named Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment for assassinating former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe three and a half years after shooting Abe at a political rally in Nara in 2022.
Tetsuya Yamagami had admitted to the killing at the start of his trial last year, but the severity of his punishment sparked debate across Japan. While many view the 45-year-old as a ruthless killer, others have expressed sympathy, pointing to his difficult childhood and troubled background.
Who Is Tetsuya Yamagami?
Tetsuya Yamagami is a Japanese national who confessed to killing former prime minister Shinzo Abe on July 8, 2022. A resident of Nara, Yamagami was taken into custody at the spot where the shooting took place. At the time, he was 41 years old, unemployed, and had no previous criminal record. His trial started at the Nara District Court on October 28, 2025. On January 21, 2026, the court sentenced Yamagami to life imprisonment.
Tetsuya Yamagami Early Life
Tetsuya Yamagami was born on September 10, 1980, in Mie Prefecture, Japan, into a family that later faced serious personal and financial problems. He was a quiet and shy child and often felt unsure about what he wanted to do in life. His family’s close link to the Unification Church had a strong influence on him after his mother joined the group in 1991. Large donations made to the church caused major financial trouble for the family and led to bankruptcy in 2002, which deeply affected Yamagami and fueled his anger. He could not attend university and later worked in different short-term jobs after a brief period in the Japan Self-Defense Forces. He continued to struggle emotionally, including a failed suicide attempt, and blamed the Unification Church for ruining his family’s stability. These feelings later played a key role in the July 2022 killing of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Tetsuya Yamagami Arrested to Kill Japan Former PM Shinzo Abe
Yamagami was arrested immediately in July 2022 after fatally shooting Abe with a homemade firearm while the ex-prime minister was delivering a campaign speech in Nara, western Japan. At the time, Abe was 67 years old and had been Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.
From the very first court hearing at Nara District Court in October, Yamagami admitted to the murder, making a guilty verdict almost certain. Prosecutors requested a life sentence, describing the assassination as an “extremely grave incident that is unprecedented in post-war history.”
Impact on Japan’s Political Landscape After Assasination of Shinzo Abe
Although Abe was no longer in office when he was killed, he remained a major force within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). His death left a noticeable gap in leadership, triggering two leadership elections and a string of short-term prime ministers since he stepped down.
Abe had served as Japan’s prime minister for 3,188 days across two separate terms before resigning in September 2020 due to health problems. His protege, Sanae Takaichi, now leads both the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the country, but Abe’s absence has noticeably weakened the party’s hold on power.
How Japan’s Ex PM Shinzo Abe Assassination Linked With the Unification Church Controversy
The assassination also cast a spotlight on the LDP’s links with the Unification Church, a group often described as a cult. Investigations showed that more than 100 lawmakers had connections to the church, which has fueled public distrust of the party.
Yamagami told the court that he had a personal grudge against the church because his mother had made large donations, which caused financial difficulties for the family. He claimed that he targeted Abe because the former prime minister had once sent a video message to an event connected to the church.
The Unification Church, founded in South Korea in 1954, is famous for mass weddings and counts Japanese followers as a major source of income. Yamagami’s lawyers requested leniency, arguing that the financial struggles caused by the church should reduce his sentence to 20 years at most.
Japan’s Ex PM Shinzo Abe’s Global Influence and U.S. Ties
Despite his divisive image in Japan, Abe was a respected international leader. He was among the first foreign leaders to meet Donald Trump after the 2016 U.S. election, forming a close friendship. The two bonded over golf in Japan and the U.S., and Prime Minister Takaichi has referenced this relationship in her dealings with Trump.
