'Everything is true': Japan's ex-PM killer pleads guilty; blames Abe for family's financial ruin

Three years after the killing of Japan's ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , the accused, Tetsuya Yamagami , admitted his crime. During the trial, when questioned, he very calmly stated, “Everything is true.” The 45-year-old man appeared before the Nara District Court to face charges of murder and weapons violations for the fatal shooting that halted Japan in disbelief. His admission marked a dramatic moment in a trial that has reopened one of Japan’s most shocking incidents in recent decades.

During an election stump speech on July 8, 2022, Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving leader, was struck by bullets from Yamagami’s handmade firearm while addressing voters in the western Japanese city, Nara. Yamagami was arrested on scene after the same, but Abe succumbed to his injuries shortly afterward, despite emergency medical intervention.

Investigators say Yamagami crafted the crude weapon himself and acted out of revenge, blaming Abe for supporting the Unification Church — a controversial sect he accused of ruining his family financially. His mother reportedly donated around 100 million yen, which roughly accounts for $663,218, to the church. This donation took a huge blow to his family's financial conditions, driving them into bankruptcy.

The assassination’s aftermath exposed deeper ties between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Unification Church that ensnared more than a hundred politicians from the party. This triggered a collapse in public trust that the current leadership, under Sanae Takaichi, still struggles to repair.

Earlier in March, a Tokyo court ordered the Japanese branch of the South Korean-founded church to dissolve, citing systematic exploitation, like extracting excessive donations from the followers. The church appealed the ruling, which revokes its tax-exempt status but allows it to continue operating.

Yamagami’s trial will proceed over 18 hearings, with a final verdict expected on January 21.