Japan hands down life sentence to man who assassinated former PM Shinzo Abe, closing a case that shocked the nation and triggered scrutiny of political-religious ties
A Japanese court has sentenced
Tetsuya Yamagami (45), to life in prison for
assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022.
The Nara District Court handed down the verdict on January 21, 2026, after prosecutors urged the judge to impose a life term, calling the killing “an extremely grave incident that is unprecedented in post-war history.”
Yamagami had admitted to firing a homemade gun at Abe as he spoke at an election campaign event.
He told the court his motive stemmed from bitterness toward the
Unification Church, a controversial religious group he blamed for his family’s financial ruin after his mother made large donations and because Abe had publicly shown support for an affiliated organisation.
How was Shinzo Abe assassinated?
Abe got shot at while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. The attack occurred near the Yamato-Saidaiji Station. The assailant approached Abe from behind and fired two shots using an improvised, double-barreled firearm he had built himself using metal pipes and wood.
Watch the video here:
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Clearest vid yet of former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe being assassinated by what appears to be the second slug in a hand made shotgun by Tetsuya Yamagami.@MaajidNawaz pic.twitter.com/pmsEHkiH6C
— SuzeeB (@NatalieSuB) July 8, 2022
While the first shot missed, the second struck Abe in the neck and chest, causing fatal internal injuries and massive blood loss. Despite being airlifted to a hospital, he was pronounced dead a few hours later.
While Japan’s legal system allows the death penalty for murder, prosecutors did not seek execution since only one person was killed. Yamagami’s lawyers had argued for a shorter sentence of no more than 20 years, citing his troubled upbringing.
Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, transforming the nation through his “Abenomics” strategy, which used aggressive monetary easing and fiscal stimulus to combat economic stagnation. A staunch conservative, he sought to revitalise Japanese nationalism and strengthen the military by reinterpreting the country’s pacifist constitution. Globally, he was known for the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” framework and bolstered the Quad alliance to balance regional power.
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