Assassin of Japan's former Prime Minister Abe appeals life sentence

A Japanese man has appealed against his life sentence for fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a district court spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, sent shockwaves through Japan after he shot and killed its longest-serving prime minister with a homemade gun in July 2022, while Abe was delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.

"An appeal was filed," said the spokesperson. The Osaka High Court will review the appeal.

Yamagami, who admitted to killing Abe, was handed a life term by the court last month, in line with prosecutors' demands, though his defence had sought no more than 20 years, citing family issues linked to the Unification Church.

Media have quoted Yamagami as telling the court he held a grudge against the Unification Church after his mother's large donations to it caused financial hardship for the family.

He took out his anger on Abe after the former prime minister had sent a video message to an event organised by a church affiliate, media added.

Founded in South Korea in 1954, the Unification Church is famed for its mass weddings and counts Japanese followers as a key source of income.

-Kiyoshi Takenaka and Kaori Kaneko/Reuters