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.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling t...
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercont...
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles laun...
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukraine is ready to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow also halts strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the United Kingdom believes Iran was likely behind an alleged plot connected to RAF Fairford, a military airbase in Gloucestershire in England that has played a role in U.S. operations against Iran, escalating tensions between London and Tehran.
Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement for political purposes after authorities searched her Washington-area home as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment