Tetsuya Yamagami, who is accused of assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial in Tokyo.
Yamagami, 45, told the court that “all of this is true,” according to Japanese media.
He is accused of using a gun he made in Japan to shoot Abe, who was campaigning in the city of Nara in 2022.
Abe, who was 67, was shot multiple times and died in hospital, in a shocking incident that shocked the world and Japan in particular.
The man said the killing was caused by a dispute between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church, known to many as the “Moonies.”
Yamagami said he blamed Abe for promoting the church, which he said had torn his family apart because of the support his mother had given him.
His mother reportedly gave nearly 100 million yen (over $660,000), claiming it was a token of loyalty to the church. The move prompted an investigation into the operations of the prominent South Korean church and led to the resignation of four cabinet members.
In March this year, a Tokyo court ordered the church to be closed and its assets sold.
However, Yamagami’s mother is expected to be called as a witness, and is said to be continuing to testify to her faith and sincerity.
Although he admitted to shooting Abe, Yamagami denies any wrongdoing under gun laws. His lawyer told the court that the gun he used did not meet the legal requirements, NHK reported.
Japan, which has one of the world’s highest gun laws, quickly enacted laws against domestically manufactured weapons after Abe’s death.
The trial is scheduled to continue until January 2026.
