NARA—Prosecutors on Dec. 18 sought a life sentence for the man accused of assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, calling the crime an “unprecedented case in postwar history” that had an immense impact on society.

The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, has admitted to fatally shooting Abe in during an election campaign in Nara in July 2022.

The main question concerning his lay judge trial has been about the punishment he will receive.

In the 15th hearing of his murder trial at the Nara District Court, prosecutors said a life sentence was warranted for the “grave act” carried out in public in broad daylight.

“We must not allow copycats to emulate the defendant’s offense,” they said.

Yamagami said he attacked Abe over his connections to the former Unification Church. He said his mother’s repeated donations to the religious organization ruined his family and led to his life in poverty.

However, prosecutors said the fact that Yamagami targeted Abe after finding it difficult to attack church executives represented a “leap in logic.”

Yamagami’s defense team said in its closing arguments that “life imprisonment is far too severe,” and recommended the sentence “be kept to 20 years’ imprisonment.”

“A tragic upbringing caused by illegal donations is directly linked to the motive for the crime, and the defendant is a victim of religious abuse,” the defense argued.

The presiding judge asked Yamagami if he had anything to say as his trial wrapped up.

Without moving from his seat on the defense side, Yamagami answered, “I have nothing.”

The verdict and sentencing are scheduled for Jan. 21.

PROSECUTION’S ARGUMENT

In its closing arguments, the prosecution emphasized that Abe was the innocent victim of a “short-sighted and egocentric offense that disregarded human life.”

“He had no fault for which he should be killed and was simply a prominent politician,” the prosecution said. “And, to borrow the defendant’s own words, (Abe) he was ‘not the main issue.”

The prosecution also said that Yamagami’s firing of his homemade weapon in front of a busy train station put many others in danger.

“The defendant’s shotgun fires multiple projectiles at once, and despite having an extremely high lethality, it is not known where they would fly, making it extremely dangerous and malicious,” they said.

Concerning the mother’s large donations to the former Unification Church, now called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, the prosecution said the organization provided a refund of 50 million yen ($321,000), and that the defendant himself also received monthly repayments.

“He should have been able to live without being financially distressed,” the prosecution said. “There were moments to reconsider the crime.”

Prosecutors did not deny that the defendant’s family discord had an influence on his actions.

But they said people in even more unfortunate circumstances have overcome their problems without resorting to crime.

“He is a man in his 40s who can judge right from wrong,” they said.

They also cited a lack of an apology from Yamagami to the bereaved family before the trial.

“It cannot be acknowledged that the defendant’s self-reflection has deepened.”

STATEMENT FROM AKIE ABE

Before the prosecution’s closing arguments, a representative read a statement from Abe’s widow, Akie.

She said that after Abe’s death, messages arrived from leaders of various countries and many people attended the funeral.

“(Through the trial), I realized that my husband devoted himself to Japan and the Japanese people, and dedicated his life to world peace,” she said in the statement.

“Everyone mourns the death of the politician Shinzo Abe, but for me, along with being a politician, I lost my one and only irreplaceable family member,” the statement continued. “I will never accept this sense of loss for the rest of my life.”

As a message to Yamagami, Akie said, “Please face what you have done head-on and strive to atone for your crime.”

DEFENSE ARGUMENT

After Abe’s death, politicians’ connections with the church were exposed, and the organization’s donation-collection methods was again scrutinized.

The Tokyo District Court ordered the disbandment of the church earlier this year.

In the defense team’s closing arguments, they stressed that Yamagami had been driven into a corner.

“At the time (of the incident), the issue of second-generation members of religious groups had not become a social issue, and the defendant had been left behind,” they said.

“The defendant could not raise his voice (about his circumstances), and even if he had spoken up, he probably would not have been believed,” they said.

“It was difficult for the defendant himself to accurately understand what kind of situation he had actually been placed in.”

The defense also emphasized that the mother’s faith in the church made the defendant a victim of religious abuse.

They said his upbringing in the household must be taken into account in the sentencing.

“Serving a certain period in prison is unavoidable. The defendant fully understands and accepts this,” the defense said. “While imprisonment is unavoidable, he should be given the opportunity to reintegrate into society after completing his sentence.”