Online Posts Divided Over Defendant in Abe Shooting Trial; Those Seeking Harsh Punishment Outnumber Sympathetic Observers

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:02 JST, January 20, 2026

Both sympathy and criticism can be seen on the X social media site for Tetsuya Yamagami, currently on trial over the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to an analysis by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

The trial has attracted strong interest in the troubled upbringing of Yamagami, 45, who is the child of a member of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly known as the Unification Church. Yamagami has been indicted for murder and other charges, and the court is scheduled to rule on the case on Wednesday.

The Yomiuri’s analysis found that while sympathy for the defendant remains persistent, many also warn against empathizing with him, saying that amounts to condoning violence.

Using the social media tracking tool Social Insight, the Yomiuri found about 7,600 posts on X containing phrases such as “former Prime Minister Abe shooting incident” in the 52 days from the first hearing of the trial on Oct. 28 to the trial’s conclusion on Dec. 18. Reposts were excluded.

The figure was 2.3 times higher than the about 3,200 posts in the same period leading up to the first hearing.

During questioning, Yamagami said his family fell apart after his mother donated ¥100 million to the religious group, causing his resentment toward the group to deepen. He said he targeted Abe, whom he believed was close to the organization.

Of the posts put up during the trial, about 700 fell into the “circumstances and religious group” category, showing sympathy for Yamagami or criticizing the group’s activities and political ties.

The comments included statements like “I cannot help but feel sympathy,” “He exposed the ties between the group and the Liberal Democratic Party,” and “He saved children of religious group members.”

About 800 posts were categorized as “criticism of violence and severe punishment,” condemning the defendant and seeking a harsh sentence. This figure surpassed the number of posts related to Yamagami’s circumstances and the religious group.

Some opinions raised included: “The trend of treating him as a hero is wrong,” “Even if his family environment was miserable, it does not justify shooting Mr. Abe, who had nothing to do with it,” and “Families with outrageous members are everywhere, yet everyone is still living earnestly.”

As the trial progressed, expressions labeling Yamagami’s act as “terrorism” stood out.

The number of daily posts related to his circumstances peaked at 97 on Nov. 19, when his younger sister testified. Posts criticizing violence reached a high of 96 on Dec. 18, when the trial concluded.

Court proceedings revealed that Yamagami had the chance to take a university entrance exam thanks to financial assistance from a relative. It was also revealed that he received ¥130,000 monthly from a partial refund of the donations by the religious group, yet he was in dire financial straits due to loans taken out to purchase materials for the hand-made gun used in the shooting.

“The trial made it clear that the defendant’s life was not entirely destroyed by the group. The view that he is not solely a victim is strengthening,” said Masaaki Ito, a professor of media sociology at Seikei University, in relation to the posts on X.

Ito has analyzed X posts made by Yamagami, and said the incident stems from the religious group’s problems but involves various other factors as well, including the fact that Yamagami experienced severe employment difficulties that were particular to his generation.

“It’s necessary to calmly consider factors such as the circumstances of children of religious group members and the group’s problems, rather than reacting with just emotional empathy or antipathy,” he said.