So far, little is known about the suspect who shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, who was arrested at the scene of the crime, confessed to shooting Abe, according to Nara's Nish police during a press conference. He has been taken to the Nara District Attorney's office and is being investigated as a "suspect in a murder case," according to the police.
Who is Tetsuya Yamagami? The Nish police stated that Yamagami, who is unemployed, told investigators that he harbors hatred towards a specific group he believes Abe is connected to, according to CNN. Japan's NHK Broadcasting and Kyodo News reported that Yamagami also mentioned that his mother is involved with the group. The police did not disclose the name of the group and stated to CNN that they could not provide any details.
Yamagami was described as a "completely normal" person and appeared "serious," according to at least two individuals who interacted with him during his previous job at a factory, as reported by Kyodo News. A former colleague described Yamagami as "quiet." He added, "If you talked to him about work, he would respond, but he didn’t speak about his personal life, and he seemed of moderate demeanor." The former colleague noted that Yamagami "would have lunch alone in his car" and that "conversations with him were short."
The report continued that "there were no issues with Yamagami during the first six months of his work, until he began to show a gradual 'neglect' of work practices," according to Kyodo News. The agency added that in March, Yamagami began taking "unauthorized leave" and spoke of "heart problems" and other physical issues, with his service ending on May 15.
An unnamed employee described him as "completely normal," but added that "he didn’t talk much." Yamagami told investigators that he initially intended to kill Abe with explosives, according to NHK. He had originally planned to assassinate Abe at an event held in Okayama, a prefecture about three hours by car from Nara, according to the agency. He told investigators: "I was thinking of killing the former prime minister there (Okayama), but I saw that there were security checks at the entrance and felt it would be difficult to get in."
