The man who killed Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe has been sentenced to life in prison, three and a half years after he fatally shot the ex-leader during a rally in the city of Nara in 2022, the BBC reports.
Tetsuya Yamagami himself pleaded guilty to the crime at the trial’s opening last year,but what punishment he deserves has divided public opinion in Japan.While many see the 45-year-old as a cold-blooded murderer, some sympathise with his troubled upbringing.
Prosecutors said Yamagami deserved life imprisonment for his “grave act”. Abe’s assassination stunned the country where there is virtually no gun crime.
Seeking leniency, Yamagami’s defence team said he was a victim of “religious abuse”.
