"Abe's Killer's Defense Claims 'Resentment Toward Family Federation Due to Mother's Religious Abuse'"

First Trial Scheduled for the 28th of Next Month

The legal team representing Tetsuya Yamagami, who is accused of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, plans to argue that Yamagami was a victim of "religious abuse."

Tetsuya Yamagami, who shot and killed former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during an election campaign. Photo by Yonhap News

According to a report by the Asahi Shimbun on September 21, the defense team is expected to claim at the first trial next month that Yamagami's crime was not an act of "political terrorism," but rather the result of resentment toward the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly known as the Unification Church), which arose after his family's financial situation deteriorated due to his mother's faith in the organization.

Yamagami's mother became a member of the Family Federation when he was in elementary school and is known to have donated approximately 100 million yen (about 950 million won) to the organization, including his late father's life insurance payout. As a result, Yamagami reportedly gave up on attending university.

During the police investigation, he reportedly stated, "Our lives were ruined by the donations," and explained that he "harbored resentment against the organization and targeted former Prime Minister Abe because of his close ties with the Family Federation."

Focusing on this, the defense team asked a religious studies scholar to analyze Yamagami's upbringing. The scholar concluded that Yamagami's mother fell under the category of "neglect of duty" among types of "child abuse related to religious faith," as defined by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This assessment was based on the fact that she donated even her son's educational funds and traveled to South Korea for religious activities, leaving her son behind.

Based on this analysis, the defense team plans to argue in court that Yamagami developed resentment toward the Family Federation due to religious abuse, and that this led him to attack former Prime Minister Abe, who had sent congratulatory messages and video greetings to the organization.

In contrast, Japanese prosecutors intend to emphasize the heinous nature of the crime, arguing that it is not appropriate to attribute the incident solely to religious factors. They are expected to focus on proving the destructive power of the homemade firearm Yamagami used, as well as the dangerous situation created by the presence of many people at the scene.

Yamagami's first trial is scheduled to be held at the Nara District Court on the 28th of next month.

Three years ago, Yamagami approached former Prime Minister Abe during a House of Councillors election campaign in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, in western Honshu, and fired a gun at him.