The man accused of assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has apologized for the first time to the former leader’s family.
Tetsuya Yamagami, who previously pleaded guilty to murder, told the court Thursday that he felt “deep sorrow” for Abe’s widow, Akie.
Yamagami used a homemade gun to shoot Abe during a political campaign rally in the western city of Nara on July 8, 2022. He died in hospital that same day.
Abe’s death shocked the entire world. He was known for his tough foreign policy and a distinctive economic strategy that became popularly known as “Abenomics.”
“I have caused [the family] “Three and a half years of suffering… I have no excuse,” Yamagami said in court on Thursday, according to local media.
He reportedly told investigators that he attacked Abe because he blamed the former prime minister for allegedly promoting the Unification Church, which Yamagami said had bankrupted his mother and the entire family.
Yamagami’s accusations sparked investigations into the Unification Church, which began in South Korea and is known for its mass weddings.
In March this year, a Tokyo court ordered the dissolution of the church, a ruling the church said it would “fight to the end.”
The Unification Church has generated controversy even before Abe’s assassination for teaching that marriage is fundamental to spiritual salvation.
Abe’s grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, who was also Japan’s prime minister, was known to have been close to the Unification Church due to its anti-communist nature. Abe himself had spoken at events related to the group.
During a hearing last month, prosecutors read a statement from Abe’s widow in which she wrote: “The pain of losing a husband will not be eased.”
