SECOND CHOICE

Shinzo Abe’s Assassin Originally Wanted to Kill Church Leader

Tetsuya Yamagami told police that he originally planned to kill the leader of the Unification Church, which he blames for bankrupting his mother.

Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly wasn’t Tetsuya Yamagami’s first choice target in avenging his mom’s bankruptcy. According to VICE News, local television reported that Yamagami told police that he had originally planned to assassinate Hak Ja Han, the head of South Korea-based Unification Church, a religious group known for holding mass weddings and supporting conservative politicians worldwide. Yamagami told police that he harbored resentment against a “certain group” because it bankrupted his mother; while authorities have not yet confirmed that Unification Church is the group in question, the church held a press conference revealing that Yamagami’s mother is indeed a member. As per VICE’s reporting, Yamagami told officials that he was unable to travel to South Korea due to COVID-19 restrictions, so had to settle for targeting Abe, who had loose ties to the group.