Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who killed former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a homemade gun, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday, NHK reported.

The ruling concludes a yearslong trial over the assassination that stunned Japan — a country where gun violence is extremely rare — and drew attention to an influential religious group linked to the case.

Yamagami shot Abe in broad daylight in 2022 while the former leader was giving a campaign speech on a street in Nara, western Japan. Abe, who resigned as prime minister in 2020 due to health issues, remained politically active and continued to wield significant influence as Japan’s longest-serving premier.

Images from the sentencing hearing show Yamagami arriving at the Nara District Court on January 21, 2026.

The assassination prompted nationwide debates over political security, the role of extremist ideologies, and public safety measures in Japan.