A Japanese court sentenced 45-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment for fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, public broadcaster NHK reported. The ruling on Wednesday (21 January) brings to an end a three-and-a-half-year case that has stunned the nation.
Yamagami was arrested on the spot in July 2022 after fatally firing at Abe with a homemade gun while he was delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. Abe, the country's longest-serving premier, was 67.
A guilty verdict was all but certain after Yamagami admitted to killing Abe in the first court hearing at the Nara District Court in October. Attention had been on the severity of the sentence.
Prosecutors sought a life term last month, calling the act an "extremely grave incident that is unprecedented in post-war history".
Although he was no longer Japan's leader at the time, Abe remained a powerful and binding force within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. His absence has left a vacuum within the party, which has since seen two leadership races and, by extension, a revolving door of prime ministers.
Abe served as prime minister for a total of 3,188 days over two separate terms, stepping down in September 2020, citing health reasons.
His protegee Sanae Takaichi now leads Japan and the LDP, but the party's grip on power has considerably diminished.
Abe's killing also brought to light a deep link between his party and the Unification Church, an organisation many consider a cult. An in-party investigation found that more than a hundred lawmakers had dealings with the group, leading many voters to shun the LDP, which has ruled Japan for most of the post-war period.
Media have quoted Yamagami as telling the court that he held a grudge against the Unification Church after his mother's large donation to it caused financial hardship for their family, and that he took out his anger on Abe because the former prime minister had once sent a video message to an event held by a group affiliated with the church.
Yamagami's lawyers, meanwhile, argued that the family's misfortune caused by the donation to the Unification Church should be taken into consideration and limit his prison term to 20 years at most.
Abe was the first foreign leader to meet U.S. President Donald Trump after his 2016 election victory. The two went on to forge a close bond over rounds of golf in the United States and Japan.
Prime Minister Takaichi has repeatedly referenced their friendship in her own dealings with Trump.
The U.S. administration has reportedly proposed restarting Russian gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine as part of efforts to secure an energy ce...
ADIPEC 2026, the world's largest energy event, opened in the UAE capital on Monday, bringing governments and energy companies together at a tim...
Israeli forces have withdrawn from the entire city of Hebron in the southern West Bank after a 10-day military operation that displaced thousands o...
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
A six-day humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-held Ukrainian town of Oleshky ended on Sunday, 1 November, after facilitating aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.
Saudi Aramco's acquisition of a 49 per cent stake in artificial intelligence (AI) company HUMAIN is putting a spotlight on a wider investment question: why are some of the world's biggest energy companies moving deeper into AI, and what do they expect to gain?
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
ADIPEC 2026, the world's largest energy event, opened in the UAE capital on Monday, bringing governments and energy companies together at a time of heavy pressure on global supply.
The U.S. administration has reportedly proposed restarting Russian gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine as part of efforts to secure an energy ceasefire ahead of winter.
Israeli forces have withdrawn from the entire city of Hebron in the southern West Bank after a 10-day military operation that displaced thousands of Palestinians and left homes demolished, infrastructure damaged and businesses disrupted, according to the city's governor.
The United Nations is ending its 35-year peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara after the Security Council failed to agree on renewing its mandate, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Sunday.
Kimi Antonelli became Formula One's youngest world champion at 20 years and 68 days old on Sunday when he finished third for Mercedes in a red-flagged and restarted Mexico City Grand Prix won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment