Abe shooter Yamagami pleads guilty to murder

Jiji Press, Philippine News Agency

The 45-year-old defendant said the charges against him were “all true.” (Pexels photo)

NARA – Tetsuya Yamagami, who is charged with murdering former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the western Japan city of Nara about three years ago, pleaded guilty in the first hearing of his trial at Nara District Court on Tuesday.

The 45-year-old defendant said the charges against him were “all true.”

Meanwhile, the defense contested the charge of firing a weapon in violation of the firearms and swords control law, arguing that the homemade gun he used in the attack was not covered by the law.

The trial is expected to focus on how heavy the punishment for Yamagami should be. The court is expected to hand down a ruling on Jan. 21, 2026.

The trial is scheduled to be in session for 19 days, including a reserve hearing, and witness questioning is set to begin Wednesday. The defendant is slated to take the stand in five hearings from Nov. 20, and the trial will conclude on Dec. 18.

Before Tuesday’s court hearing began in the early afternoon, more than 700 people lined up outside the court to watch the high-profile trial.

Yamagami entered the courtroom at around 2 p.m., wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and dark gray pants. He had stubble, and his grown-out, partially grayed hair was tied back.

He was expressionless as the indictment was read aloud by the prosecution. He admitted to the charges in a quiet voice.

According to the indictment, Yamagami fired a homemade gun twice at Abe, who was delivering a stump speech on July 8, 2022, ahead of a House of Councillors election. The former prime minister died from blood loss due to damage to his right and left subclavian arteries.

Yamagami has suggested that he had a grudge against the controversial Unification Church religious group after his mother went bankrupt due to large donations she made to the group, and that he believed Abe had ties with the group, according to informed sources.