Tetsuya Yamagami charged with murder of Japan's ex-PM Shinzo Abe

Jan 13, 2023 | News On Japan

Jan 13, 2023 (thenationalnews.com) - A man has been charged with murder by Japanese prosecutors after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a court said on Friday.

Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested immediately after Mr Abe was shot with a home-made gun as the former leader was making a campaign speech on July 8 outside a train station in Nara, western Japan.

Mr Yamagami will now stand trial for murder after a six-month mental evaluation, which prosecutors said showed he was fit to appear in court.

The 42 year old will also face a charge of violating gun laws, Nara district court said.

Police said Mr Yamagami told them he had killed Mr Abe, one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, because of the latter’s apparent links to a religious group he hated.

Mr Yamagami said in statements and social media postings attributed to him that he his mother had made huge donations to the Unification Church, bankrupting his family. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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