His brother took his own life in 2015 out of despair over the family’s financial problems, the court heard, with Yamagami admitting to a desire for “revenge”.
Yamagami claimed the church coerced followers into handing over their savings, a claim supported by lawyers involved in long-running legal cases against the organisation for pressuring dozens of other members to donate vast sums.
In testimony in November, Yamagami’s mother said: “I thought the donations were more important than my children’s education. I think I am the perpetrator.”
Yamagami, who learned how to make a gun while serving in the Japanese armed forces, also claimed that the Unification Church was using donations to Japanese politicians to buy influence and have a say in policy-making. Those claims were supported when it emerged that 179 of the 379 serving politicians of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had links to the church.
Although Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister at the time of Abe’s death, was not implicated in the scandal, his administration was badly tarnished by the fallout.
Yamagami’s trial began only in October, more than three years after Abe’s assassination, as he underwent extensive psychological examinations to determine whether he was competent to stand trial.
The defendant admitted all the charges against him in the first hearing of the case, with his defence team arguing that he could be rehabilitated and should receive a prison term of 20 years.
In the final court hearing, Yamagami apologised to Abe’s family, including his widow, Akie, saying they must have been “devastated” by his loss.
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