Dec. 19 (Asia Today) -- Japanese prosecutors have asked the Nara District Court to sentence Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, to life in prison for the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, opting not to seek the death penalty.
At a hearing Thursday, prosecutors condemned the killing as an attack on the rule of law, arguing that violence aimed at changing society cannot be excused regardless of motive.
In closing arguments, prosecutors cited four factors supporting a severe sentence: the brutality of the method, extensive premeditation, the magnitude of social impact and what they called the irrationality of the motive.
Prosecutors said Yamagami shot Abe from behind in July 2022 during a campaign event in Nara City using a homemade firearm. They said about 300 people were present and described the weapon's lethality as "more than 10 times" a standard firearm. They argued the attack took place in a public area near major stores and a train station and could have caused additional casualties.
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