Photo/Illutration Akie Abe gazes at defendant Tetsuya Yamagami at the Nara District Court on Dec. 3. (Illustration by Eri Iwasaki)

NARA—With former first lady Akie Abe watching, Tetsuya Yamagami implied that had he known about a visit to Japan by Unification Church officials, her husband, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, might still be alive.

Akie attended Yamagami’s murder trial for the first time at the Nara District Court on Dec. 3.

When Yamagami, 45, entered the witness box at the 13th hearing, Akie, who was seated behind prosecutors, moved to one side to gain a direct view of the defendant.

She kept her eyes on him as he provided details about how and why he fatally shot her husband in July 2022.

But Akie and Yamagami shared no direct interactions in the court that day.

During questioning by the prosecution, Yamagami said that after he watched Abe’s video message sent to a church-related organization in 2021, Abe “remained in the back of my mind, though not to the extent of being a clear target.”

Yamagami said that in early July 2022, he decided to attack Abe when he learned that senior officials of the South Korea-based Unification Church canceled a visit to Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, a prosecutor pointed out that senior church officials did visit Japan in June that year.

“You overlooked that visit?” a prosecutor said.

“Yes,” Yamagami answered.

“If you had been able to attack the officials in June, would you have refrained from attacking former Prime Minister Abe?” the prosecution asked.

“Yes,” Yamagami said.

The prosecutor also asked the defendant why he specifically targeted Abe.

“He was the most prominent politician among those who praised the Unification Church,” Yamagami said. “While I didn’t consider it meaningless to attack him, I felt he wasn’t the most appropriate choice.”

The prosecution also pressed Yamagami on why he has not offered to pay for Abe’s medical expenses, apologized to Akie or provided other compensation.

The judge raised the same point.

After a slight pause, Yamagami responded: “I was going to talk about them tomorrow.”

NO QUESTIONS FROM AKIE

Under the victim participation system, bereaved family members and others affected by certain crimes can attend the trial of the suspect, with court approval.

They may sit with prosecutors, directly question the defendant, and give their opinions about the facts or the application of the law.

In Yamagami’s case, Akie has used the system. Since the first hearing held on Oct. 28, her representative lawyer has been present in court.

On Dec. 3, Akie remained composed as she kept her gaze on the defendant. She bowed to the court and left without asking Yamagami any questions.

REVENGE MISSION

Yamagami has said his mother’s heavy donations to the church ruined their family and forced him into a life of poverty. He also said he targeted Abe because of his ties to the church.

Yamagami’s defense lawyer on Dec. 3 asked him how he felt when Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, died in 2012.

“I felt like, ‘Finally, he’s dead,’” Yamagami said.

He said he printed a webpage reporting on the competition to succeed Moon within the church and read the contents to his mother.

He said he hoped that the church would deteriorate after the founder’s death, and that his mother would break free from its grip.

But she covered her ears and walked away, he said.

In 2015, when Yamagami’s brother committed suicide, the church changed its name to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

The defendant said he thought the name change reflected a sense of crisis within the church.

At the time, Yamagami also thought about killing himself to provide money to his younger sister through his life insurance policy.

But he was unable to take his life.

He said he lost hope that his mother would leave the church, and his anger at the religious organization grew.

“What kind of emotion was the ‘anger’?” his lawyer asked.

“The feeling that I would make them realize someday,” Yamagami said. “I thought the meaning of my life was to take revenge on the church or harm it.”

(This article was written by Ko Sendo and Minami Endo.)

 

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