Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya is on trial for fatally shooting former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo with a homemade pipe gun during a campaign speech in Nara three years ago.

A key issue at the Nara District Court is the impact of the large donations Yamagami’s mother made to the controversial Unification Church.

On November 19, the defendant’s younger sister testified for the second straight day in the lay judge trial.

She tearfully said their mother contacted her only when asking for money, and she felt this person was not her parent.

The sister said the church destroyed their family, adding that she tried to find a place for consultations but couldn’t.

Later in the hearing, Yamaguchi Hiroshi, a lawyer who handles damages claims related to the church, said he was shocked by the video message Abe sent to an organization affiliated with the church, adding that he believed it would make it harder for authorities to act against the Unification Church.

Kamiya Shinichi, an attorney who was once a follower of the Unification Church himself, revealed he has met many people who said that if Yamagami hadn’t committed the act, they would have.