Overview
- Nara District Court, presided over by Judge Shinichi Tanaka, sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment for the July 2022 shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, matching prosecutors’ request.
- Prosecutors labeled the attack without precedent in postwar Japan, while the defense sought a fixed term citing family harm tied to the former Unification Church; Yamagami admitted the killing.
- Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto announced he would resign his Upper House seat for health reasons, said he will not run for the coming Lower House election, and will stay on as party leader with reduced duties.
- In Okinawa’s No. 2 district, former lawmaker Chobin Zukeran declared his candidacy with partial Social Democratic Party support as incumbent Kunio Arakaki plans a run with the new Centrist Reform Union, dividing the All Okinawa camp.
- Chiba police arrested company executive Masato Shimano on suspicion of preparing false documents to aid a residency renewal for a fee, while Tomakomai police detained Ryusei Sasaki over an assault captured in a widely shared video.