Shooting of Ex-Prime Minister Abe: What Lessons for Society Should be Drawn from Trial?

Editorial

15:41 JST, October 30, 2025

The shooting of a former prime minister during an election campaign speech left a deep wound on society. What lessons can be drawn from the trial for this crime? It is hoped that the chain of events and the background leading to the crime will be thoroughly clarified.

The lay judge trial of defendant Tetsuya Yamagami, who has been charged with murder and other crimes in the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has begun at the Nara District Court. The defendant allegedly shot and killed Abe with a homemade firearm in July 2022 while Abe was giving a campaign speech for a candidate for the House of Councillors election in Nara City.

At the first hearing, the defendant admitted to the charges, saying: “It is all true. There is no doubt that I did it.”

The defendant has a responsibility to sincerely confront his crimes and describe issues such as his state of mind at the time of the incident in his own words.

The focus of the trial will now shift to determining the severity of the sentence.

When the defendant was in elementary school, his mother joined the Unification Church, formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. She reportedly donated ¥100 million in total, leading to bankruptcy and the loss of their peaceful life.

The defendant, called a “shukyo nisei” in Japanese, a term referring to the children of a parent who is the follower of a specific religious group, was quoted as saying during the investigation that he harbored resentment toward the Unification Church. In their opening statement, the defense lawyers requested leniency, arguing: “The environment in which the defendant was born and raised constitutes child abuse. This should be fully considered when determining the severity of the sentence.”

However, the prosecution countered, “An unfortunate background has no connection whatsoever to Mr. Abe and does not significantly warrant a lighter punishment for the defendant.”

Nearly 20 sessions for the trial are scheduled to take place, with the ruling to be handed down in January next year. It is hoped that the proceedings will clarify points that are hard to understand, such as how resentment toward the religious group led to Abe’s shooting.

After the incident, some people expressed sympathy on the internet for the defendant’s circumstances. In 2023, an incident occurred in Wakayama City in which an explosive was thrown at then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The man arrested is said to have gathered information about Yamagami online before allegedly committing the crime.

Violence is never permissible, no matter what the reason. Abe’s shooting ultimately seems to have stifled free speech during elections and forced a review of security measures. Its impact on society is immeasurable.

Disinformation continues to circulate online, with people making such claims as that the defendant did not act alone and that there was a “true sniper.” Uncovering the truth at the trial will likely help curb such false information.

The incident brought serious harm to light, as some followers of the Unification Church were making large donations, leaving their families in financial distress. The defendant’s mother and religious scholars, among others, will reportedly testify at the trial. The incident also poses another weighty question for society: What is to be done with children whose parents are followers of specific religious groups?

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 30, 2025)