The defense team for Tetsuya Yamagami, sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has appealed the ruling to the Osaka High Court, calling it unjust. They argued that his troubled upbringing was central to his motive and warranted a sentence of 20 years or less, but the court rejected this as a major factor.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara Prefecture in 2022, received a life sentence from the Nara District Court on January 21 for murder and violations of the Firearms and Swords Control Law, as requested by prosecutors. On February 5, 2026, his defense team appealed the verdict to the Osaka High Court.
Lead defense attorney Masaaki Furukawa stated, “After conferring with the defendant, we have submitted a written petition to appeal the sentence handed down by the [Nara] District Court, so that we can have an opportunity to correct this unjust first ruling.” Yamagami admitted to the murder during his lay judge trial, explaining that his family's ruin stemmed from his mother's massive donations to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification—formerly the Unification Church—which fueled his resentment toward the group. He targeted Abe, whom he associated closely with it.
The trial spotlighted how Yamagami's unhappy upbringing shaped the incident. The defense contended that his background was “deeply linked to his motive” and “should be afforded the highest importance when determining the sentence,” pushing for “20 years’ imprisonment or less.” In contrast, the court acknowledged the upbringing's influence on his personality and thought patterns, which indirectly led to the crime, but ruled that “deciding to commit murder because you are angry at a religious group is a big leap” and did not deem it a major factor.
On the firearms violation, the defense argued innocence, claiming the homemade gun fell outside regulations. However, the court held him culpable due to the weapon's shape and high lethality. The appeal will allow reexamination of the background and sentencing merits.
