Did Shinzo Abe’s assassin win over the Japanese people? | ASSASSINS

Key Concepts

• Tetsuya Yamagami: The assassin of Shinzo Abe.
• Shinzo Abe: Japan's longest-serving postwar prime minister, assassinated in July 2022.
• Unification Church (Family Federation of World Peace and Unification): A religious group founded by Sun Myung Moon, implicated in Yamagami's motive.
• Sun Myung Moon: Founder of the Unification Church.
• Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon: Wife of Sun Myung Moon and current head of the Unification Church.
• DIY Gun: A homemade firearm constructed by Yamagami.
• Childhood Trauma and Poverty: Key factors contributing to Yamagami's grievances.
• Excessive Donations: The Unification Church's practice of soliciting large sums of money from followers, leading to financial ruin for some families.
• Political Ties: The Unification Church's connections with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan.
• Public Outrage Shift: The transition of public sentiment from outrage at the assassin to sympathy for his grievances against the church.

Assassination of Shinzo Abe: A Case Study

Background and Motive

The assassination of Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving postwar prime minister, on July 8th, 2022, in Nara, Western Japan, was carried out by Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old former factory forklift operator. Yamagami's motive stemmed from a deep-seated personal grievance against the Unification Church (also known as the Family Federation of World Peace and Unification or "Moonies"), which he blamed for the financial ruin and personal tragedies that plagued his family.

Yamagami's childhood was marked by significant trauma. His father committed suicide in 1984 when Yamagami was four years old, shattering the family's affluence. Shortly after, his older brother developed lymphoma, leading to blindness in one eye. These events placed immense strain on the family, and Yamagami's mother became increasingly involved with the Unification Church.

The Unification Church and Financial Ruin

Founded by Sun Myung Moon, the Unification Church is a Messianic sect that believes Moon is the new Messiah tasked with establishing God's kingdom on Earth. The church emphasizes duality and the purging of evil bloodlines, often through mass wedding ceremonies where couples are matched by church authorities.

Yamagami's mother became deeply entrenched in the church, leading to the neglect of her children. Relatives reported that the children frequently went hungry as their mother was often absent and donated all family assets to the church. This included:

• The family's construction business.
• An inheritance of land and money from Yamagami's grandfather, who passed away in 1994.
• Money set aside for Yamagami's college education.
• Funds for his brother's long-term medical care for lymphoma.

Over approximately 20 years, Yamagami's mother donated the equivalent of $1.4 million to the Unification Church. This financial drain led to the family's destitution, culminating in her filing for bankruptcy in 2002.

Yamagami's Personal Struggles and Escalation of Grievances

Yamagami's own life was marked by hardship. He joined the Japanese Navy but was discharged after three years due to a suicide attempt, reportedly to provide life insurance money to his siblings. His mother temporarily distanced herself from the church for about eight years. However, in 2015, another tragedy struck when Yamagami's older brother took his own life, unable to afford continued treatment for his lymphoma. Two years later, his mother rejoined the Unification Church.

Yamagami's initial target was not Shinzo Abe, but rather Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, the wife of Sun Myung Moon and current head of the Unification Church. However, she was too well-protected and her whereabouts too difficult to track. Yamagami then turned his attention to Shinzo Abe due to a perceived connection to the church. Abe's grandfather had been instrumental in establishing the Unification Church in Japan, and Abe himself had sent a congratulatory video message to the church and appeared in its publicity.

The Assassination Method: A DIY Firearm

In a country with strict gun laws and very low gun violence, Yamagami resorted to creating his own weapon. He constructed a double-barreled gun by taping two water pipes together onto a wooden board, with a hand grip and a small battery to ignite the gunpowder in the bullets. This "DIY" weapon was crude but effective.

On July 8th, 2022, Yamagami positioned himself about 10 meters from Abe as he began a campaign speech. He fired two shots. The first shot caused Abe to pause and look around, mistaking the sound for a car backfiring or a firework. The second shot hit Abe's collar, causing him to collapse. Yamagami then dropped his homemade gun and was apprehended by security personnel.

Public Reaction and Unification Church Scrutiny

The assassination of Shinzo Abe had an unexpected impact. Instead of widespread outrage directed solely at Yamagami, the Japanese public began to express sympathy for his grievances against the Unification Church. This led to investigations into the church's practices, which had long been protested by victims but previously suppressed by hesitant media and politicians.

Key revelations included:

• Dubious Political Ties: Investigations revealed that half of the Liberal Democratic Party's members had ties to the Unification Church.
• South Korean Intelligence Links: The church's historical connections with South Korea's Central Intelligence Agency as an anti-communist, anti-Chinese front were brought to light.
• Church Acknowledgment: The Unification Church eventually acknowledged accepting "excessive donations" from Yamagami's mother, though it claimed to have returned half the money.
• Legal Consequences: In March 2025, a Tokyo court heard that the church "sowed fear amongst followers and harmed their families" and agreed to banish them from Japan.
• International Repercussions: Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon was indicted in South Korea over allegations of bribing the country's first lady.

Conclusion and Current Status

Tetsuya Yamagami's assassination of Shinzo Abe, while a tragic act, inadvertently exposed the pervasive influence and harmful practices of the Unification Church. The public's shift in sentiment highlights a growing awareness of the church's predatory nature and its impact on individuals and families. Yamagami is currently imprisoned, estranged from his uncle (who is a lawyer but refused to represent him) and his mother, who remains a member of the Unification Church. The case serves as a stark reminder of how personal tragedies, fueled by religious exploitation and political complicity, can lead to devastating consequences.