Japan | Convicted Killer Of Prime Minister Abe Appeals Against His Life Sentence

A Japanese man has appealed against his life sentence for fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a district court spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, sent shockwaves through Japan after he shot and killed its longest-serving prime minister with a homemade gun in July 2022, while Abe was delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.

“An appeal was filed,” said the spokesperson. The Osaka High Court will review the appeal.

Yamagami was sentenced to life in prison by the Nara District Court on January 21, 2026, after admitting to the murder, using a homemade gun during Abe's campaign speech in Nara.

The sentence matched prosecutors' demands.

His defense team filed the appeal on February 4, 2026, the deadline for filing, reportedly after discussions with Yamagami, who agreed despite not being strongly opposed to the original ruling.

The appeal was submitted to the Nara District Court, with the case now heading to the Osaka High Court for review.

Defense lawyers argue the sentence is unjust, criticizing the lower court for fully accepting prosecutors' arguments without adequately considering Yamagami's difficult upbringing and family issues tied to the Unification Church.

Yamagami's motive stemmed from a grudge against the church, which he blamed for his family's financial ruin due to his mother's humongous donations to the group. He took out his anger on Abe after the former prime minister had sent a video message to an event organised by a church affiliate, media added.

They had sought a fixed-term sentence (e.g., around 20 years) rather than life, citing "religious abuse" and background factors as mitigating circumstances. Some reports note they may also reargue elements like the firearms charge.

The Unification Church

Founded in South Korea in 1954, the Unification Church is famed for its mass weddings and counts Japanese followers as a key source of income.

The BBC reports that Abe’s shocking death in broad daylight prompted investigations into the Unification Church and its questionable practices, including soliciting financially ruinous donations from its followers.

The case also exposed links with politicians from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and resulted in the resignations of several cabinet ministers.

Journalist Eito Suzuki, who covered all but one of Yamagami’s court hearings, said Yamagami and his family seemed “overwhelmed with despair” throughout the trial.

Yamagami “exuded a sense of world-weariness and resignation”, recounts Suzuki, who began looking into the Unification Church long before Abe’s shocking murder.

“Everything is true. There is no doubt that I did this,” Yamagami said solemnly on the first day of his trial in October 2025.

Source: stratnewsglobal.com, DPN, Staff, February 4, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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