As the trial begins, Tetsuya Yamagami admits to murdering Japan's oldest leader three years ago.
Posted on October 28, 2025
The man accused of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 has pleaded guilty to murder.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, admitted all charges read by prosecutors as his trial began on Tuesday, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
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Yamagami was charged with murder and violations of gun control laws for allegedly using a handmade gun to shoot Japan's oldest leader.
“It's all true,” the suspect told the court, according to the AFP news agency.
Abe was shot while giving a speech during an election campaign in the western city of Nara on July 8, 2022. Yamagami was arrested at the scene.
The murder was reportedly sparked by the suspect's anger over ties between Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church.
Yamagami held a grudge against the South Korean religious group due to his mother's donation of 100 million yen ($663,218). The gift ruined his family's financial health, Japanese media reported.
Long the subject of controversy and criticism, the Unification Church, whose followers are disparagingly called “lunatics,” has since faced increased pressure from authorities over bribery allegations.
The church's Japanese followers are seen as a key source of income.
The shooting was followed by revelations that more than 100 LDP lawmakers had ties to the Unification Church, reducing public support for the ruling party.
After Tuesday's initial court session, 17 more hearings are scheduled this year before a verdict is issued on Jan. 21.
The trial began on the same day that two of Abe's former allies, LDP leader and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and visiting U.S. President Donald Trump, held a summit in Tokyo.
Abe, who was Japan's prime minister for nearly nine years, is regularly mentioned by both during public events.
On Tuesday, Takaichi presented Trump with a golf putter owned by Abe and other golf memorabilia during their meeting at Akasaka Palace.
