A guilty verdict was all but certain after Yamagami admitted to killing Abe in the first hearing at the Nara District Court in October, and attention had been on the severity of the sentence. Media have quoted Yamagami as telling the court that he held a grudge against the Unification Church after his mother's large donation to it caused financial hardship for their family, and that he took out his anger on Abe because the former prime minister had once sent a video message to an event held by a group affiliated with the church. Abe was the first foreign leader to meet Trump after his 2016 election victory and the two went on to forge a close bond over rounds of golf in the United States and Japan.
Author: The Star Online
Published at: 2026-01-20 22:15:00
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