The defendant in the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Tetsuya Yamagami, expressed dissatisfaction with the first trial's life imprisonment ruling and filed an appeal with the Osaka High Court on the morning of the 4th.
Yamagami's lawyers stated that, after consulting with the defendant, they filed the appeal to seek an opportunity to correct the first trial’s verdict.
Tetsuya Yamagami was accused of using a homemade firearm to shoot and kill Shinzo Abe, who was giving a street speech in Nara City on July 8, 2022. Yamagami has fully admitted to the charges of murder and violating the firearms and swords law. On January 21 of this year, the Nara District Court sentenced Yamagami to life imprisonment.
According to earlier statements by Yamagami, he targeted Abe because Abe’s maternal grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, had helped introduce the “Family Federation for World Peace and Unification” (formerly the “Unification Church”) into Japan, and Yamagami’s mother had long donated large sums to the organization, causing the family to fall into financial distress.
One major focus in the first trial was whether Yamagami’s upbringing could reduce his punishment. Prosecutors argued that although the defendant’s background was unfortunate, it was not a reason for a significant reduction of sentence. The court ultimately accepted the prosecution’s recommendation and sentenced Yamagami to life imprisonment.