Photo: CollectedNARA, Japan, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The gunman charged with killingJapan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe was found guilty Wednesday andjailed for life, as the judge declared the broad-daylight assassination"despicable and extremely malicious". As he handed down the sentence at a court in the city of Nara, judge ShinichiTanaka said Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, had been "determined" to shoot Abe. - 'Significant grief' -Prosecutors had argued that the defendant's motive to kill Abe was rooted inhis desire to besmirch the Unification Church. Another man outside the court held a banner urging the judge to takeYamagami's difficult life circumstances "into the fullest consideration". The Japanese version of life imprisonment leaves open the possibility ofparole, although in reality, experts say many die while incarcerated.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha January 21, 2026 11:03 UTC