Shinzo Abe, who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020, became a victim of an attack when he was shot by Yamagami during a speech in Nara, located in western Japan, on July 8, 2022. The killer used a homemade shotgun, believing that the former prime minister was connected to the "Unification Church," which he claimed had destroyed his family, as his mother donated $670,000 to the sect.
Prosecutors described the crime as "unprecedented" in Japan's post-war history. The defense argued that Yamagami had become a victim of violence from a religious organization and that his "tragic childhood" played a role in his actions; however, the defendant himself admitted his guilt in court.
