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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
TOKYO, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) — The Nara District Court on Wednesday sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami, accused of assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022, to life in prison.
Prosecutors have demanded a life sentence for 45-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, calling the murder of Japan's former prime minister with a homemade firearm at a street election rally "an unprecedented crime in the country's post-war history."
Shinzo Abe was shot dead on July 8, 2022, while delivering a campaign speech on a street in Nara, western Japan, in support of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate in the House of Councillors (upper house) elections. Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested at the scene.
He confessed to the murder of Shinzo Abe during his trial in the Nara District Court, claiming he committed the crime out of hatred for the Unification Church, as his family had suffered financial ruin due to his mother's large donations to the religious group. He believed the Unification Church had close ties to Shinzo Abe and other Japanese politicians.
Tetsuya Yamagami's defense had called for a prison sentence of no more than 20 years, arguing that he was a victim of a religious group.
Following the arrest of Tetsuya Yamagami, the Japanese government launched an investigation into the Unification Church for extorting donations from its members, which led to the Tokyo District Court ordering the Church to be dissolved and stripped of its tax benefits as a religious organization.
In addition, there has been increased scrutiny of the organization's ties to LDP lawmakers, some of whom local media reported receiving support during election campaigns. –0–
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