Life sentence for Abe assassin shines a light on Japan’s church-politics links
A Japanese court in Nara sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life in prison for the July 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with Yamagami admitting to the murder. He said he targeted Abe to strike at the Unification Church over its ties to politics, a revelation that exposed decades of links between Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and the church. Prosecutors sought a life term; the defense had asked for no more than 20 years. The case prompted investigations that led to the church’s tax-exempt status being revoked in Japan and spurred security upgrades for dignitaries.
