Arya News - While on the stand, Tetsuya Yamagami said he believed Abe “played a central role” between the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, also known as the Unification Church, and politics in Japan.
NARA – The man charged with fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday during the trial that he thought targeting other politicians besides Abe would not have had as much of an impact.
Tetsuya Yamagami, who is charged with murder and other crimes, made the remark after being asked why he shot the former prime minister in Nara City in July 2022 while Abe was giving a campaign speech. Tuesday was the 12th hearing in the trial at the Nara District Court.
While on the stand, Yamagami said he believed Abe “played a central role” between the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, also known as the Unification Church, and politics in Japan.
“[Shooting] any other politician would not have had as much meaning,” said Yamagami, 45.
When asked about the situation at the time of the shooting, he said, “Those guarding Abe weren’t looking, so I thought, ‘Now’s my chance.’”
Hostility gradually rising
Tuesday was the third time he was on the stand, following Nov. 20 and 25, but the first time Yamagami spoke in detail of why he targeted Abe.
Previously, Yamagami said his grudge against the Unification Church grew after his mother donated ¥100 million.
“For me, it was unacceptable that the Unification Church was being accepted so publicly,” Yamagami said Tuesday, regarding a video message that Abe sent to an organization closely related to the Unification Church in 2021.
“I didn’t have strong feelings of anger toward Abe, but his existence was always in the back of my mind, he said.
“Something like disgust or hostility had been gradually rising,” Yamagami added.
Day of attack
Prosecutors began questioning on Tuesday by asking Yamagami about his actions before the shooting. Yamagami answered in an even tone while carefully choosing his words.
Yamagami said he lived in Nara City and fired a handmade gun toward a building housing a Unification Church facility in the city before dawn on July 7, 2022, the day before the Abe shooting.
He said at that time, he had already decided to target Abe but shot the building to show his anger toward the Unification Church.
Yamagami said he believed the relationship between Abe and the Unification Church was not well-known to the public.
“Unless I indicated it in advance, [my shooting of Abe] might be interpreted differently,” he said.
On July 7, 2022, Yamagami went to Okayama City on a Shinkansen train carrying a handmade gun and planned to shoot Abe while he gave a campaign speech in the city.
However, Yamagami gave up because he “did not have a chance to fire the gun.”
While he was heading home, Yamagami saw online that Abe was going to give a speech in Nara City the following day.
I didn’t think it was purely a coincidence, because I could never have imagined that [Abe] would come [to Nara] the day after my plan failed,” he said.
Yamagami continued to talk about what he did the day of the attack.
Yamagami arrived at Yamatosaidaiji Station, near the venue of Abe’s speech, at around 10 a.m. He entered a nearby commercial facility, went to a public restroom to set up the handmade gun so it could be fired at any time and then headed for the speech venue.
As there was a large crowd at the venue, he said he chose to stand behind where Abe would be standing, so he could move around easily.
After Abe started giving his speech, those guarding him stood between Yamagami and Abe, so he could not find his chance to shoot.
When Yamagami thought the speech would end soon, those guarding Abe turned their attention toward people walking on the street.
“I thought, ‘Now’s my chance,’” Yamagami said.
He then approached Abe and pulled the trigger twice, targeting Abe’s upper body.
“I fired without thinking,” Yamagami said.
When asked about the risk of his handmade gun hurting others, Yamagami said, “I didn’t think it would hit anyone else.”
Lay judge asks question
On Tuesday, lay judges asked Yamagami questions for the first time.
When asked what made him decide to commit the crime in Nara City, Yamagami said, “The biggest factor was that [those guarding Abe] created an opening for the bullet to travel, making the attack possible.”
According to a report that was released by the National Police Agency, police officers in charge of guarding Abe at the time said they were focused on the crowd in front of him, creating a blind spot behind him.
When his lawyer asked about how Abe was guarded, Yamagami said he thought those guarding him looked relaxed and did not feel as if he was being watched too closely.