Trial of Japan ex-PM Abe's alleged killer set to begin

The trial of a man accused of killing Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe is set to open on Tuesday, three years after the assassination in broad daylight shocked the world.

Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, stands accused of murder and violations of arms control laws for allegedly using a handmade weapon to shoot dead Japan's longest-serving leader as he gave a speech in July 2022.

The killing in the western city of Nara forced a reckoning in a country with little experience of gun violence, and ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between prominent conservative lawmakers and a secretive sect, the Unification Church.

Yamagami's trial has been a long time coming after the discovery of a suspicious item —  later found to be harmless —  caused its last-minute cancellation and the evacuation of the Nara court building in 2023.

If found guilty of murder, he could face a lengthy prison sentence. While Japan has the death penalty, it is more often given to people who kill multiple victims.

The verdict is expected in January.

Yamagami's defence team will reportedly deny the killing was politically motivated, while prosecutors will seek to emphasise the heinous and premeditated nature of his crime.

One issue centres on whether the court will recognise extenuating circumstances due to "religious abuse" in Yamagami's childhood stemming from his mother's extreme devotion to the Unification Church, according to local media reports.

Yamagami reportedly resented Abe for his perceived ties to the Church, which was established in South Korea in 1954 and whose members are nicknamed "Moonies" after its founder Sun Myung Moon.

The Church has been accused of fomenting child neglect among its members and financially exploiting them, claims it denies.

Yamagami is said to have held a grudge against the Church for bankrupting his family after his mother donated around 100 million yen ($1 million at the time) as proof of her faith.

Investigations after Abe's murder led to cascading revelations about close ties between the Church and many conservative lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, prompting four ministers to resign.

Earlier this year, the Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order for the Church's Japanese arm, saying it caused "unprecedented damage" to society.

The assassination was also a wake-up call for a nation with some of the world's strictest gun controls.

Gun violence is so rare in Japan that security officials at the scene failed to immediately identify the sound made by the first shot, and came to Abe's rescue too late, a police report after the attack said.

The debacle prompted lawmakers to pass a bill in 2024 further strengthening arms controls to prevent people from making homemade guns.

Under the new rules, uploading tutorial videos on making firearms and propagating information about gun sales on social media can result in a fine or imprisonment of under one year.