Japan former PM Shinzo Abe’s shooter sentenced for life

TOKYO: A Japanese court sentenced the killer of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to life in prison, Al Jazeera reported. Tetsuya Yamagami (45) had admitted to fatally shooting Abe in 2022, in a crime that shocked the nation.

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Yamagami, calling the murder “unprecedented in our post-war history” and citing the “extremely serious consequences” it had on society, as per Al Jazeera. Yamagami’s lawyers argued for a maximum punishment of 20 years imprisonment.

There were “undeniable” flaws in the security for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the head of police in the area where the leader was assassinated has admitted, pledging an investigation, as per Al Jazeera.

URGENT: #Japan‘s Nara District Court on Wednesday sentenced #TetsuyaYamagami, who is charged with fatally shooting former Japanese Prime Minister #ShinzoAbe in July 2022, to life in prison. pic.twitter.com/fWi58APWeU

— ShanghaiEyeofficial (@ShanghaiEye) January 21, 2026

Shinzo Abe, who was a popular leader, was on the campaign trail in the western region of Nara when Yamagami opened fire at close range. Japan is considered one of the safest countries in the world and has extremely strict gun laws.

“I believe it is undeniable that there were problems with the guarding and safety measures for former prime minister Abe. The urgent matter is for us to conduct a thorough investigation to clarify what happened”, Al Jazeera quoted Tomoaki Onizuka, head of the Nara prefectural police, as saying.

Abe (67) was shot from behind, minutes after he started his speech in Nara. He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was later pronounced dead despite emergency treatment that included massive blood transfusions, hospital officials said.

Police at the scene arrested Tetsuya Yamagami, a former member of Japan’s navy, on suspicion of murder. Police said he used a gun that was ‘obviously’ homemade — about 40 cm (15 inches) long — and they confiscated similar weapons and his personal computer when they raided his nearby one-room apartment, as per Al Jazeera.

Police said Yamagami was responding calmly to questions and admitted to attacking Abe, telling investigators he had plotted to kill him because he believed rumours about the former leader’s connection to a certain organisation, which police did not identify, as per the report. (ANI)