Prosecutors demand life sentence for Abe's accused killer

NARA — Prosecutors on Thursday sought life imprisonment for the man standing trial over the "unprecedented" fatal shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 that shed light on the controversial Unification Church and its links to politicians.

Tetsuya Yamagami admitted to murdering Abe during his trial at the Nara District Court, saying he held a grudge against the church because of the financial ruin his family suffered due to his mother's large donations to the religious group. The ruling will be handed down on Jan. 21.

"Killing a former prime minister in the public eye is an unprecedented crime in our country's postwar history," prosecutors said in their closing arguments against the 45-year-old defendant. "There is no room for leniency," they added.

Yamagami is accused of fatally shooting Abe with a handmade firearm during an election stump speech by the former prime minister in the western Japan city of Nara on July 8, 2022.

While Yamagami's upbringing is undeniably unfortunate, it had no bearing on his actions, the prosecutors said, adding that he was an adult who could "distinguish between right and wrong."

Asked by Presiding Judge Shinichi Tanaka whether he wished to make a closing statement, Yamagami shook his head twice and said he had "nothing."

His defense counsel, meanwhile, said in their closing arguments that Yamagami's prison term should be "a maximum of 20 years," because his motivation for the crime was directly linked to his tragic upbringing.

Arguing for a shorter sentence than sought by the prosecution, the defense team said Yamagami, who would be in his 60s after serving his term, should contribute to society as a victim of harm caused by a religious group.

In the trial under the lay judge system, Yamagami said earlier he initially targeted Unification Church leader Han Hak Ja. He said he later shifted his focus to Abe after the coronavirus pandemic made it difficult for Han to visit Japan and because Abe had sent a video message to an event hosted by a group closely associated with the church.

He said he believed Abe, who was 67 when shot, was "at the center of the Unification Church's political involvement" in Japan. Abe had remained an influential political figure even after his resignation in 2020.

The prosecution said there was a "leap in logic" in his switching of target to Abe and that his action was "extremely short-sighted and showed a blatant disregard for human life."

Yamagami's defense counsel said he resented the church because his mother had donated 100 million yen ($640,000) to it, forcing his family into bankruptcy, something that should be considered in mitigation of his sentence.

It was revealed during the trial that Yamagami's mother joined the religious group in 1991 after her husband died by suicide in 1984. The defendant also attempted to kill himself in 2005, and his older brother, resentful of their mother's large donations, took his own life in 2015.

Ahead of the prosecutors' closing remarks, a lawyer representing Akie Abe, Abe's widow, read out her statement on her behalf. "The sudden death of my husband was way too shocking, and my mind went completely blank," she wrote.

"I felt as if I was in a dream for a considerably long time. I request that the defendant properly atone for his crimes."

Akie Abe did not appear in court on Thursday.

As Yamagami's motivations became clear following his arrest, scrutiny of links between lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the church grew, with some reportedly having received support during election campaigns.

It also led to a government probe into the Unification Church over its solicitation of financially ruinous donations from members. Following a request from the central government, the Tokyo District Court in March issued an order for the church to be dissolved, stripping it of tax benefits as a religious corporation.

A law was enacted to regulate manipulative fundraising tactics by organizations, with the suffering of children of Unification Church members, referred to as "second-generation" followers, also drawing public attention.

© KYODO