According to NHK, Tetsuya Yamagami, 45 years old, accused of assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in 2022, admitted to the murder in the October 28 trial.
The suspect pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial in a district court in Nara City. Tetsuya Yamagami was accused of killing Abe Shinzo with a homemade gun while he was speaking out on the campaign.
The Nara District Court will hold a series of hearings before making a verdict on the case in January 2026.
Suspect Yamagami told investigators that he committed the crime due to hatred towards the Unification Church over the bankruptcy his family went through through through due to the huge donations, possibly up to 100 million yen ($660,000) he had contributed to the organization.
Abe Shinzo is Japan's longest-serving prime minister after the war. According to investigation sources, Abe Shinzo was targeted because his grandfather - former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi - helped introduce the culct.
On the first day of the trial of suspect Abe Shinzo's murder suspect, 727 people lined up to enter the courtroom with 32 seats. Tickets to the courtroom are distributed in the form of random drawing.
