Tetsuya Yamagami was charged with murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe in Nara City in July 2022. The second "pretrial proceedings" to narrow down evidence and points of contention before the defendant's trial. was held on the 23rd, and the defendant himself attended for the first time.
Defendant Tetsuya Yamagami (43), an unemployed man, has been charged with murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of former Prime Minister Abe in Nara City in July 2018.
This case is expected to be tried in a lay judge trial, and from 10 a.m. on the 23rd, the second ``pretrial review procedure'' was held at the Nara District Court to narrow down the evidence and issues before the trial. It was my first time attending.
According to people involved, the procedure took about 30 minutes, with the court, prosecutors, and lawyers exchanging evidence and issues at issue.
The dates for future proceedings have not been determined.
During the investigation, defendant Yamagami reportedly stated that he had committed the incident after growing resentment toward the former Unification Church, to which his mother had donated a large amount of money.At trial, the defendant's circumstances, etc. The issue is likely to be the severity of the sentence, taking into account the circumstances of the case.
The first procedure was abruptly canceled.
Regarding defendant Yamagami's pre-trial proceedings, on June 12 of last year, before the first proceedings had begun, a suspicious cardboard box arrived at the courthouse, creating a commotion that prompted the dispatch of the police's explosive ordnance disposal squad, and the proceedings were abruptly halted. There is a history.
Since he had indicated his intention to attend on that day, the Nara District Court installed a gate-type metal detector at the main entrance, and police were also on guard in the area.
The contents of the cardboard box delivered to the court contained signatures demanding a lighter sentence for the defendant, but the initial proceedings were postponed to October last year as a result of the uproar.
According to his defense team, the defendant said at the time, ``I'm glad it wasn't an explosive,'' and added, ``My attendance caused such a commotion. "I want to do it," he said.
The first procedure was held again on October 13th last year, but the defendant did not attend, and this was his first time attending the procedure.
Second procedure Nara District Court is on high alert
At the Nara District Court, where the second pre-trial proceedings for Tetsuya Yamagami's trial were held, people were restricted to one area at the front entrance, and metal detectors were installed at the entrance. Strict precautions were taken to check each person's luggage.
The defendant himself was in attendance on the 23rd, and a car believed to have carried the defendant entered the courthouse just before 9:30 a.m., but there was no apparent disorder in or around the courthouse.