Suspect charged with murder in assassination of Japan's Abe

Tokyo: Japanese prosecutors have formally charged the man suspected of killing former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

The Nara District Public Prosecutors Office indicted Tetsuya Yamagami, 42, on murder charges as well as for violating gun laws after concluding a roughly six-month-long psychiatric evaluation.

Prosecutors said the results of his mental evaluation showed he was fit to stand trial.

Mr Yamagami was arrested on the spot on July 8 after allegedly shooting Mr Abe with a handmade gun while the former leader was giving a speech at an election campaign in the western city of Nara.

Mr Yamagami reportedly held a grudge against the Unification Church for impoverishing his family, saying it persuaded his mother to donate around 100 million yen ($1.1 million), and blamed Mr Abe for promoting the religious organisation.

The Unification Church was founded in South Korea in 1954 and is famous for its mass wedding. Its Japanese followers are a key source of income.

The killing shed light on deep and longstanding relations between the church and Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politicians.

SOURCE: REUTERS