TOKYO: A man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to go on trial on Tuesday (Oct 28), three years after the assassination of Japan’s longest-serving premier stunned a nation where gun crime and political violence are rare.
The trial opens the same day as two of Abe’s former allies, incumbent Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and visiting United States President Donald Trump, hold a summit.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, was arrested at the scene of the shooting in July 2022 after allegedly firing at Abe with a homemade gun while the former premier was giving a speech during an election campaign in the western Japanese city of Nara.
Yamagami blamed Abe for promoting the Unification Church, a religious group he held a grudge against after his mother donated to it some 100 million yen (US$663,218), local media reported.
The Unification Church was founded in South Korea in 1954. It is famous for its mass weddings and counts Japanese followers as a key source of income.
Source: CNA
