TOKYO: Prosecutors on Thursday (Dec 18) sought life in prison for the man charged with fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara City in July 2022.
The Nara District Court is scheduled to deliver its ruling on suspect Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, on Jan 21.
This is the first case in the postwar period of a former prime minister being fatally attacked.
In its closing arguments, the prosecution described the crime as “dangerous and cold-blooded,” saying the defendant “approached the defenseless victim from behind to hit the target accurately.”
“The area near the scene is a highly public location, with department stores and a station. The risk of killing or injuring others besides the victim was extremely high. There was unprecedented danger,” the prosecution said.
The key point of contention in the trial has been how much weight should be given to the defendant’s background. Yamagami’s family was destroyed due to the large donations made to a religious group.
“His unfortunate upbringing is unrelated to Abe and does not warrant a significantly reduced sentence,” the prosecution argued in its opening statement.
The defense countered that the environment in which Yamagami was raised constituted child abuse and influenced the defendant’s personality and behavioral tendencies.
“His motives and the circumstances leading to the crime should be considered when determining the severity of the sentence,” it said.
‘My mind went blank’
Abe’s wife Akie appeared in court earlier this month but did not appear on Thursday. Her attorney read a statement on her behalf, saying, “We demand the defendant squarely face his crimes and atone for them properly.”
According to the statement, Akie, now 63, had asked Abe, “What if something dangerous happens to you?” He was said to have replied, “Politicians put their lives on the line.”
“I truly never thought that day would come,” the statement read. “The shock was so overwhelming that my mind went blank. I am left alone, and thinking about my husband brings tears to my eyes.”
According to the indictment, Yamagami fatally shot Abe with a homemade firearm on the street in front of Yamato-Saidaiji Station around noon on July 8, 2022, while Abe was giving a campaign speech for a House of Councillors election. - The Yomiuri Shimbun
