Tokyo, Jan 23: A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, to life imprisonment for assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022 during an election speech in Nara. Yamagami, who pleaded guilty, said he targeted Abe to punish the Unification Church, which he hated, and expose its close ties with Abe and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Prosecutors sought life imprisonment, citing the danger of the attack, while Yamagami’s lawyers requested a lighter sentence, citing his troubled childhood. The assassination, captured on television, shocked Japan, a nation with strict gun laws, and led to tighter security for dignitaries. Investigations revealed decades-long connections between Abe’s party and the church, prompting legal action against the religious group. Abe, Japan’s longest-serving postwar leader, was known for conservative policies and ties to right-wing organizations. Yamagami’s case drew public sympathy, highlighting the struggles of children of church adherents and influencing new laws regulating coercive solicitation by religious groups.Tokyo, Jan 23: A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, to life imprisonment for assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022 during an election speech in Nara. Yamagami, who pleaded guilty, said he targeted Abe to punish the Unification Church, which he hated, and expose its close ties with Abe and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Prosecutors sought life imprisonment, citing the danger of the attack, while Yamagami’s lawyers requested a lighter sentence, citing his troubled childhood. The assassination, captured on television, shocked Japan, a nation with strict gun laws, and led to tighter security for dignitaries. Investigations revealed decades-long connections between Abe’s party and the church, prompting legal action against the religious group. Abe, Japan’s longest-serving postwar leader, was known for conservative policies and ties to right-wing organizations. Yamagami’s case drew public sympathy, highlighting the struggles of children of church adherents and influencing new laws regulating coercive solicitation by religious groups.