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Tetsuya Yamagami: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Tetsuya Yamagami
Tetsuya Yamagami was forty-one years old, unemployed, and had never been arrested before the morning of the 8th of July 2022. He stood behind Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, as the politician delivered a campaign speech in Nara. The crowd was dense, the bodyguards were alert, yet Yamagami moved forward without being noticed. He held a homemade shotgun, a weapon he had built from scratch using fertilizer and YouTube tutorials. When he fired the first round, it missed. Abe turned his head, and Yamagami fired again. The former prime minister collapsed, and the quiet man from Nara was immediately restrained. He did not run. He did not scream. He simply waited to be arrested, his face calm in the face of a crime that would shake a nation.
A Family Shattered by Faith
The roots of the tragedy lay deep within the Yamagami family history, stretching back to the 1980s. Tetsuya was born on the 10th of September 1980 in Mie Prefecture to parents who ran a local construction business. His father, a graduate of Kyoto University, died by suicide in 1984 when Tetsuya was only four years old. The father had suffered from alcoholism and depression, and his death left a void that his wife, Tetsuya's mother, tried to fill with religious devotion. She joined the Unification Church in August 1991, believing that donations would bring salvation to her family. Over the years, she donated more than 100 million yen, sold the family home, and declared bankruptcy in 2002. Her eldest son, Tetsuya's older brother, suffered from lymphoma and lost his eyesight. Unable to afford treatment, the brother died by suicide in 2015. The family was left with debt, emotional trauma, and a mother who continued to donate to the church even after bankruptcy. Tetsuya's resentment grew, and in text messages sent to his mother in 2012, he wrote that she pretended to be a normal parent and suggested he should kill her to take the insurance money. The family's financial ruin and the loss of his brother became the driving force behind his hatred.
The Navy and the Descent
In August 2002, Tetsuya joined the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, posting to the Kure Naval Base. He served as a quartermaster with the rank of leading seaman, but his time in the military was cut short by a personal crisis. In February 2005, while still in the service, he attempted suicide, hoping that his death would allow his siblings to receive his life insurance payout. He believed his mother had neglected his brother to attend Unification Church events in South Korea. An investigation report from the JMSDF stated that Yamagami felt his life had been ruined by the church and that he wanted to help his siblings by giving them his life. He was discharged in August 2005, and the rest of his life became a series of short-term jobs and financial instability. He worked for at least ten different companies over seventeen years, often quitting after six months. He obtained licenses for surveying and real estate notary work, but never held a steady position. By 2020, he was working as a forklift operator in Kyoto, but he quit in May 2022, claiming he felt unwell. His financial situation deteriorated, and he was 600,000 yen in debt with only 200,000 yen in savings. The instability pushed him toward the idea of making weapons and taking action.
Who is Tetsuya Yamagami and what did he do on the 8th of July 2022?
Tetsuya Yamagami was a forty-one-year-old unemployed man who assassinated former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on the 8th of July 2022 in Nara. He fired a homemade shotgun at Abe during a campaign speech and was immediately restrained without attempting to escape.
Why did Tetsuya Yamagami kill Shinzo Abe and what was his family history?
Tetsuya Yamagami killed Shinzo Abe because he blamed the Unification Church for his family's financial ruin and the death of his brother. His father died by suicide in 1984 and his brother died by suicide in 2015 after losing his eyesight due to untreated lymphoma caused by the family's bankruptcy.
How did Tetsuya Yamagami build the weapon used to assassinate Shinzo Abe?
Tetsuya Yamagami built a homemade shotgun using fertilizer and YouTube tutorials while renting a garage in Nara from November 2021 to February 2022. The weapon used a battery to ignite gunpowder with an electric current and was test-fired at wooden boards and in the mountains of Nara Prefecture.
What charges were filed against Tetsuya Yamagami and what was his sentence?
Tetsuya Yamagami was charged with murder, violations of the Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law, and violations of the Public Office Election Law. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on the 21st of January 2026 after admitting to killing Abe during the first hearing in Nara.
What is the connection between Tetsuya Yamagami and the Unification Church?
Tetsuya Yamagami's mother joined the Unification Church in August 1991 and donated over 100 million yen, which led to the family declaring bankruptcy in 2002. Yamagami believed the church ruined his life and sent a letter to a journalist in 2022 stating his desire to kill the entire Moon family.
How did the public react to Tetsuya Yamagami after the assassination of Shinzo Abe?
Tetsuya Yamagami received sympathy and admiration from supporters who sent him gift money and messages on his 42nd birthday on the 10th of September 2022. His Twitter account gained over 45,000 followers after his letter was leaked on the 17th of July 2022, and online petitions called for reducing his sentence.
The planning of the assassination began in the spring of 2021, when Yamagami started buying materials to make guns and gunpowder. He learned how to build weapons by watching YouTube videos, and he purchased a pressure cooker to create a bomb before deciding against it. He feared that a bomb would maim or kill innocent bystanders. Instead, he focused on building firearms that he could easily fix on a target. He rented an apartment between March and September 2021 to dry his homemade gunpowder, and later rented a garage in Nara from November 2021 to February 2022 for the same purpose. The cost of making weapons was high, and he ran out of funds quickly. He test-fired his improvised firearms at wooden boards and in the mountains of Nara Prefecture. On the 7th of July 2022, the day before the assassination, he test-fired his gun at a facility linked to the Unification Church, leaving six bullet holes at the entrance of a building. Police later discovered seven homemade firearms similar to the one used in the shooting, two of them unfinished, as well as possible explosive devices. The weapon used in the shooting was fired by a battery igniting the gunpowder with an electric current, a method Yamagami had developed through months of research and experimentation.
The Letter to the Blogger
On the 7th of July 2022, the day before the assassination, Yamagami sent a letter to a journalist named Yonemoto, who ran a blog reporting on problems experienced by the children of religious cult believers. Yamagami introduced himself as Mada Tari-nai, a regular commenter under that handle on Yonemoto's blog posts. He stressed that he had spent much time trying to obtain guns. The letter was sent from Okayama and did not mention the name of the sender, but a statement of mutual agreement between Yamagami's family and the Unification Church was enclosed. The agreement arranged the return of 50 million yen by the Unification Church, and Tetsuya Yamagami's name and address was handwritten on the agreement. In the letter, Yamagami wrote that his connection with the Unification Church dated back about 30 years. He expressed a desire to kill the entire Moon family, but noted that it was unrealistic. He also noted that killing Hak Ja Han, the leader of the Unification Church, or her daughter, would not achieve his goal of getting the Unification Church dissolved. He wrote that Shinzo Abe was not his enemy originally, although he had negative opinions about him. Abe was just one of the Unification Church's sympathizers who wields the most influence in the real world. Yonemoto found the letter in his home mailbox on the 13th of July, five days after the assassination. A draft copy of the letter was found on Yamagami's computer. Yamagami's Twitter account was @333_hill, a reference to the video game franchise Silent Hill, and he posted that he was willing to die to liberate every person involved in the Unification Church.
The Trial and the Sentence
The criminal trial against Tetsuya Yamagami began in Nara on the 28th of October 2025. He admitted to killing Abe during the first hearing, and his lawyer asked for any punishment to be automatically reduced because Yamagami's handmade gun did not fall under the criteria of the Firearms and Swords Control Act. The psychiatric assessment of Yamagami took nearly half a year, which was unusual for a criminal suspect in Japan. Prosecutors had initially set the evaluation to end on the 29th of November, but it was extended to the 6th of February 2023, and then reduced to the 10th of January. On the 24th of December 2022, the Nara District Prosecutor's Office determined that Yamagami was competent enough to stand trial on the murder charge. On the 10th of January 2023, Yamagami was transferred back to Nara Nishi Police Station to continue his detainment. An additional charge against Yamagami of violating the Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law was added by the Prosecutor's Office. Three days later, Yamagami was formally charged with Abe's murder. On the 30th of March 2023, the prosecutor's office added two more criminal charges, namely violations of the Public Office Election Law and property damage, bringing the total charges against Yamagami to four. The charge related to the Public Office Election Law was dismissed because the prosecutors determined that there was insufficient evidence to support the allegation. On the 21st of January 2026, Yamagami was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Shadow of the Cult
The assassination brought the many social issues with the Unification Church under the spotlight again, and precipitated a plunge in the approval of the ruling party. Under the public pressure, the responsible ministry decided to file a dissolution order against the UC with the Tokyo District Court on the 13th of October 2023, after nearly a year of investigation of misconduct. On the 25th of March 2025, the district court upheld the dissolution order, although the church considered the option to appeal the ruling. The Japanese media reported that the difficult circumstances endured by Yamagami and his siblings were very similar to the shūkyō nisei, otherwise known as the religious second generations, a Japanese term categorizing children being raised by parents who are enthusiastic with their religious practices while neglecting or abusing their children. Abe's assassination brought the shūkyō nisei issue under the spotlight in Japan's mainstream media, and more shūkyō nisei victims began to speak out about their hardships and inaction from the government. During his detention, Yamagami has been permitted to read newspapers. He has expressed a strong interest in learning about various societal issues and has stated that he did not anticipate his actions would have such significant consequences. He also could not conclude if the situation is good or bad for other shūkyō nisei.
The Icon of the Outcast
Since Yamagami's apprehension, he has been sympathized with and hailed as an icon domestically and abroad. T-shirts printed with Yamagami's photograph during Abe's assassination were being sold on Chinese online marketplaces and were worn by some Chinese people in public events. This is believed to be because of Abe's historical negationism by denying the Japanese war crimes committed in China, paying tributes to war criminals commemorated in Yasukuni Shrine, as well as making pro-Taiwan statements. In Japan, Yamagami's family has been receiving a considerable amount of gift money and presents like food, clothes and books via online gifting websites from his supporters. When Yamagami's Twitter account noted in his letter for Yonemoto was leaked to the public on the 17th of July 2022, his Twitter followers surged from zero to over 45,000 within one day. His Twitter account received an increase in likes and retweets, until the account was suspended on the 19th of July. On the 10th of September 2022, during Yamagami's 42nd birthday, he received messages of celebration and admiration on social media with the hashtag Tetsuya Yamagami birthday. Japanese people cosplaying Yamagami's appearance during Abe's assassination were spotted at events like the rally against Abe's state funeral. These cosplayers held cardboard signs displaying the leaders they were against: Abe, Ali Khamenei, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Even before Yamagami was being officially tried, online petition website Change.org had received over 8,700 signatures, as of the 8th of October 2022, which pleaded for reducing Yamagami's sentence. The sponsors of the petition denied the accusation from opponents that they approved of murder, but sympathized with Yamagami because his suffering as a shūkyō nisei was not an isolated case. They also saw that Yamagami was working hard to rehabilitate himself, so thought that society should give him one more chance instead of sentencing him to death.