After the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, prosecutors filed charges against the alleged perpetrator. He is accused of murder and violation of the gun control law, a spokesman for the Nara court in western Japan told AFP today.
If convicted, the suspect faces the death penalty. According to local media reports, the suspect admitted to killing Abe.
The 42-year-old man had to undergo a psychiatric examination for months. This was completed earlier this week with the transfer to a police station in Nara. An autopsy has concluded that the suspect is capable of responding to trial.
Abe was shot dead on July 8 while campaigning in Nara. A few hours later, the 67-year-old was pronounced dead at the hospital. His would-be assassin would have targeted Abe because he linked the conservative politician to the Unification Church, which he blamed for his family’s financial difficulties.