The gunman convicted of assassinating former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has formally filed an appeal against his life sentence.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Nara District Court two weeks ago after being found guilty of killing Abe with a homemade gun during an outdoor campaign event in 2022.
Yamagami’s court-appointed lawyer, Masaaki Furukawa, confirmed the appeal filing, describing it as “an opportunity to correct the unjust lower-court ruling.” Furukawa did not clarify whether the appeal seeks to overturn the guilty verdict or simply reduce the sentence.
The appeal will now be reviewed by the Osaka High Court in western Japan.
The 2022 assassination shocked Japan, a nation with strict gun laws and limited experience of firearm violence, and prompted national reflection on political security and public safety. The case also drew attention to alleged connections between conservative lawmakers and the secretive Unification Church, a religious organisation involved in political activities.
Yamagami’s defence team argued that the attack was motivated by his mother’s financial ruin caused by large donations to the Unification Church, which had driven his family into bankruptcy. Abe had appeared at events organised by groups affiliated with the Church, which had also supported his Liberal Democratic Party in elections.
