Man Accused of Assassinating Shinzo Abe Pleads Guilty as Japan Confronts Political Fallout

The man accused of assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pleaded guilty, admitting to all charges as his high-profile trial opened in Nara on Tuesday, more than three years after the killing that shocked one of the world’s safest nations.

Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, confirmed his guilt before the court, telling prosecutors, “Everything is true,” according to Japan’s NHK and AFP. He faces charges of murder and violating Japan’s strict firearms control laws after allegedly using a handmade gun to fatally shoot Abe during a campaign speech on July 8, 2022.

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was addressing voters outside a train station in the western city of Nara when two shots rang out. Yamagami was arrested at the scene without attempting to flee.

The suspect’s motive, investigators say, stemmed from resentment toward the Unification Church, a controversial South Korean religious group. His mother’s donation of 100 million yen ($663,000) to the church reportedly bankrupted the family, and Yamagami came to blame Abe for his perceived support of the organisation.

“I targeted him because of his connections to the church,” Yamagami told investigators shortly after the shooting.

The assassination sent shockwaves through Japan’s political establishment. It also exposed deep, previously underreported ties between Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church, triggering a public reckoning. Over 100 lawmakers were later revealed to have links to the group, eroding trust in the LDP and forcing resignations among several senior officials.

The church, founded in South Korea in the 1950s, has long faced accusations of coercive fundraising, bribery, and political meddling. Critics say its Japanese branch was particularly exploitative, targeting grieving or vulnerable families for donations.

Seventeen additional hearings are scheduled before the court reaches a verdict on January 21.

The timing of the trial’s opening carried symbolic weight: it coincided with a meeting in Tokyo between two figures closely tied to Abe’s political legacy, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and visiting U.S. President Donald Trump. During their summit at the Akasaka Palace, Takaichi presented Trump with one of Abe’s golf putters, a personal token from the late leader who famously bonded with Trump over golf diplomacy.