Yamagami allegedly shot Abe in 2022 with a homemade firearm during an election speech because of a grudge against the controversial Unification Church , which he believed had clos

A man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to go on trial on Tuesday, three years after the assassination of Japan's longest-serving premier stunned a nation where gun crime and political violence are rare.

The defendant told police he targeted Abe over his ties to the South Korea-based Unification Church, which he blamed for his family's financial ruin.

Abe was shot on 8 July 2022 while giving a speech near the Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City, Nara Prefecture. Although he was airlifted for immediate medical attention, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

A Japanese man accused of assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pleaded guilty on Tuesday, nearly three years after the shocking attack. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, faced charges of murder and violating arms control laws for allegedly using a homemade gun to fatally shoot Abe during a campaign speech in July 2022.

The man accused of assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to face trial on Tuesday, marking nearly three years since the shocking killing that rattled Japana nation known for its low crime and

A man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to go on trial on Tuesday, three years after the assassination of Japan's longest-serving premier.