The departure of the Komeito Party from the LDP-Komeito coalition has thrown Nagatacho into chaos. The extraordinary Diet session's prime ministerial election is being weighed down by President Trump's scheduled visit to Japan (October 27-29). Furthermore, the first hearing of Tetsuya Yamagami, accused in the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , will be held on October 28, a whopping three years and four months after the incident—on the same day as the US President's visit to Japan for the Japan-US summit. The election of new LDP president Takaichi, the Komeito rebellion, the debate over a unified opposition candidate for prime minister, and the turbulent political situation have all been used as an excuse to completely ignore the Abe trial. What factors have caused such delays in the first hearing? What forces are driving the ongoing delays, denying the crucial murder charge, and even leading the Nara District Court to make the unprecedented announcement that "the verdict will be handed down on January 26, 2026"? We must not succumb to conspiracy theories. Skepticism is the foundation of intelligence.
The only ray of hope in this situation was an update on X (formerly Twitter) by lawyer Masaki Kito, deputy head of the National Unification Church Victims Defense Team. He cited a report that the Nara District Court had announced that the verdict for the lay judge trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, who is accused of murder and other crimes in the Abe case, would be the afternoon of January 21, 2014, and called it "a hasty decision, even if it is merely a tentative date."
According to reports, Yamagami, who is charged with murder and violation of the Swords and Firearms Control Law for shooting former Prime Minister Abe with a homemade gun while he was delivering a campaign speech for the House of Councillors election in Nara City on July 8, 2010, has admitted to having the intent to kill, and is reportedly seeking leniency, arguing that his family fell apart due to his mother's large donations to the former Unification Church. The defense is seeking to testify against Yamagami's mother and religious scholars in order to clarify the influence of the former Unification Church, but the prosecution opposes this, arguing that this is not necessary. Furthermore, on October 2, the Nara District Court set the date for the first hearing to be October 28, 2013, with a conclusion on December 18, 2013, and a verdict to be dated January 21, 2014.
Kito criticized the decision, saying, "The verdict date was announced before the trial even began. It's merely a tentative plan, but it's hasty." Even though it's a lay judge trial, the fact that the trial was concentrated in just under two months and the verdict date was set in advance is tantamount to asking that January 26 be the day of another major political upheaval or a snap general election be held to make the "Yamagami Verdict" as obscured as possible.
This blog has raised objections to the Abe assassination case, saying that there are "too many questions," and has argued that the trial and preparations for the public hearing have clearly been delayed intentionally. Please read the following past article to understand our argument.
Former Prime Minister "did not fall, he was crouching" - Clear footage from Indian TV station | Press Activity 1995~ Yasuo Kaji