Abe shooter decided last fall to kill former PM: police

Jul 12, 2022 | News On Japan

Jul 12, 2022 (Nikkei) - Tetsuya Yamagami, the man suspected of assassinating Shinzo Abe on Friday, had resolved last autumn to kill the former Japanese prime minister, according to a police investigation.

Police in Nara Prefecture, where Abe was killed, have been looking for evidence that the act was premeditated. The investigation so far shows Yamagami's "strong intent to kill and meticulous preparation," a senior official said.

Investigators say Yamagami was motivated by a grudge against a religious group to which his mother had donated a large sum. She entered into bankruptcy proceedings in Nara in 2002.

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, better known as the Unification Church, disclosed in a news conference here Monday that Yamagami's mother is a member.

Yamagami is alleged to have first plotted to kill a church official but to have concluded that it would be too difficult. Police believe that he shifted focus to Abe after seeing a video message recorded by the former prime minister for a meeting last September to an organization linked to the Unification Church's founder and coming to believe that Abe had a connection to the church itself.

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