Defendant Lawyer / In your yearbook, what did you write that you wanted to be in the future? 

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya / I remember writing “a rock.”

Defendant Lawyer / What does that mean?

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya / I think it meant I probably wouldn't amount to much.

45-year-old defendant Yamagami Tetsuya is standing trial for murder for shooting former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

Defendant Lawyer / Did you think you would live to be 45?

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya / I don't think I should have lived. I’ve caused tremendous trouble by bringing about this outcome.

Yamagami, who fatally shot Abe in July 2022, has said he held a grudge against Abe for having ties with the Unification Church that made his family go bankrupt. His upbringing and its influence on the shooting are the major point of contention in the trial.

The total amount that his mother donated to the religious group was 100 million yen. She spoke in court on November 18.

Mother of Yamagami Tetsuya / I believed that if we made large donations and devoted ourselves to the Unification Church, our family would get better.

Defendant Lawyer / How did you feel seeing your mother in court?

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya / She has not changed.

Defendant Lawyer / What do you mean?

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya / She very much only cares about herself. 

Defendant Lawyer / How do you feel about your mother appearing as a witness?

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya / I think I put her in a very difficult position.

Defendant Lawyer /　Why is that?

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya / Since I committed this crime because of my mother's faith, I think she may also feel  responsible.

Yamagami paused after each question as if to think. He spoke calmly.

Defendant Lawyer / What kind of mother was she?

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya / I don't think this can serve as an apology, but there are many aspects of the Unification Church that are difficult to understand. If she wouldn’t have donated as much as she did, I think things would have been fine.  

Yamagami’s mother joined the Unification Church when he was in elementary school. Donations totaling 100 million yen impoverished their family.

Defendant Lawyer / There was actually a point where we had nothing to eat. I felt I was being indirectly exploited by the former Unification Church.

When Yamagami was a junior high school student, his mother wanted to go to South Korea for the Church. His grandfather opposed her going, which left the family in turmoil. 

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya / The family’s financial aspects were not something a middle schooler could understand. I felt like I didn't know what to do.

The questioning will continue next week.