First Questioning of Tetsuya Yamagami, Former Prime Minister Abe’s Shooter, Begins in Nara Court; Over 300 Line Up for 33 Seats

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:03 JST, November 20, 2025

NARA ― The 10th session of the trial for defendant Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, charged with murder and other counts in the 2022 fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara City, began Thursday afternoon at the Nara District Court.

This is the first defendant questioning, and attention is focused on what Yamagami will say about his motives and background. A line of people hoping to observe the trial formed outside the courthouse from morning. With only 33 seats available for the general public, 318 people applied, resulting in a lottery ratio of 9.6 to 1.

The indictment states that on July 8, 2022, Yamagami shot and killed Abe with a homemade gun on the street in front of Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City while Abe was giving a campaign speech for the House of Councillors election. The defendant admitted to the murder charge during the initial hearing.

Defendant questioning is scheduled for Thursday, November 25, and December 2-4, totaling five days. The verdict is expected to be delivered on January 21 next year.