Tetsuya Yamagami

Tetsuya Yamagami
山上 徹也
Born (1980-09-10) 10 September 1980
OccupationUnemployed
Known forAssassination of Shinzo Abe
MotiveGrudge toward the Unification Church over his family's financial ruin caused by his mother's donations, and from his belief that Abe had ties to the organization
Criminal charge
Capture status
Arrested and admitted to murder of Abe (2022), psychiatric assessment completed (2023), indictment issued (2023), first-instance trial (2025), convicted and appealing with a higher court (2026)
Details
Killed1 (Shinzo Abe)
Imprisoned atOsaka Detention House
Military career
BranchJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Service years2002–2005
RankLeading seaman (Kaishichō)

Tetsuya Yamagami (Japanese: 山上 徹也, Hepburn: Yamagami Tetsuya; born 10 September 1980) is a Japanese Navy veteran who assassinated Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, on 8 July 2022, in Nara. A resident of Nara, he was arrested at the scene of the assassination. At the time of his arrest, he was 41 years old, had no prior criminal history, and was unemployed. His criminal trial began in Nara on 28 October 2025. Yamagami was sentenced to life imprisonment on 21 January 2026.