Japanese authorities have found the man accused of the murder of ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fit to stand trial after a lengthy psychiatric evaluation, local media reported on Tuesday.
Japanese TV channels showed how Tetsuya Yamagami was transferred from a detention center in the neighboring city of Osaka, where he had spent the past five months, to a police station in Nara (West) to undergo the investigation.
According to local media, including the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, the assessment concluded that the 42-year-old was criminally liable.
According to national broadcaster NHK, prosecutors are expected to bring charges against the man by Friday.
Local police and prosecutors contacted by AFP declined to comment on the case.
Mr Yamagami was arrested in Nara, where Shinzo Abe was shot dead in broad daylight during a rally in July.
The former prime minister (2006-2007 and 2012-2020) was allegedly targeted for his alleged ties to the Moon sect, also known as the Unification Church.
The suspect resented this group, to which his mother would have made very large donations and ruined her family.
According to local media, his psychiatric evaluation focused on his relationship with his mother and his family environment.
Mr Abe, who received a rare state funeral, was not a member of the church but had spoken to an affiliated group, as had other political figures including former US President Donald Trump.
Founded in Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, the sect became popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
The group has denied any wrongdoing and has pledged to prevent “excessive” donations from its members.
The assassination sparked revelations about his ties to prominent political figures in Japan and helped lower the popularity ratings of the Kishida government, which now has the support of just 38% of the population, according to a poll by public broadcaster NHK.
Mr. Kishida has ordered a state investigation that could result in an order to disband the Moon sect under the Religious Organizations Act, which would result in it losing its tax exemptions but not ceasing its activities.