NARA — 2022 · Murder
Assassination of Shinzo Abe
Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, was shot with a homemade gun on 8 July 2022 while giving a campaign speech near Yamato-Saidaiji station in Nara, and died of his wounds. The attacker, detained at the scene, said his mother's huge donations to the Unification Church had impoverished his family and that he saw Abe as linked to the church. The killing prompted wide scrutiny of the church's ties to politics. At trial in Nara District Court, which began in October 2025, the defendant admitted the charges; on 21 January 2026 he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The defence appealed in February 2026.
- Date
- 2022
- Place
- Nara, Japan, Nara, JP
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 34.6936, 135.7837 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 8 July 2022Shinzo Abe was shot with a homemade gun while speaking in Nara.
- 2023The attacker was indicted for murder and weapons offences.
- 28 October 2025Trial opened at Nara District Court.
- 21 January 2026The defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 4 February 2026The defence appealed the ruling.
Sources
- CNN — Abe's assassin sentenced to life in prison cnn.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Trial of Tetsuya Yamagami en.wikipedia.org ↗
- CNN
- NBC News
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.