ISTANBUL

A Japanese court on Wednesday gave life in prison to the man behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, local media reported.

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, who admitted to murdering Abe in 2022 with a handmade firearm during a campaign speech in the western Japanese city of Nara, Kyodo News reported.

Yamagami said he held a grudge against the Unification Church, which Abe was connected to, over the financial ruin his family suffered due to his mother's massive donations to the group.

The assassination prompted a government probe into the church’s solicitation of financially ruinous donations from members, ultimately leading to its dissolution and legislation against such practices.