Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of killing former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, has apologised to Abe’s family for the first time since the assassination. Yamagami, who has already pleaded guilty to murder and several other charges, told the court on Thursday that he felt “deeply sorry” for the pain caused to Abe’s widow, Akie Abe.
Abe was shot on 8 July 2022 while speaking during a campaign event in the city of Nara. The attack shocked Japan and the rest of the world. Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was known internationally for his strong foreign policy positions and his economic programme known as “Abenomics”. He was taken to a hospital after the shooting but died on the same day.
Yamagami used a homemade gun in the attack. Investigators earlier said he told them he targeted Abe because he believed the former leader supported the Unification Church, a religious group that Yamagami blamed for severe financial trouble in his own family. He said the group had pushed his mother into donations that eventually bankrupted them. 
The assassination renewed public debate about the Unification Church, which was founded in South Korea and is known for its mass weddings and strict beliefs. After months of investigation, a Tokyo court ruled in March this year that the church must be disbanded. The church has opposed the ruling and said it will continue to fight the decision.
On Thursday, Yamagami told the court, “I have caused the family three and a half years of suffering… I have no excuse.” His apology comes after prosecutors last month read out a statement from Abe’s widow, in which she said that the sorrow of losing her husband “will not be relieved”.
Abe’s family has not yet responded publicly to Yamagami’s statement in court.
