Japan extends detention for Shinzo Abe’s alleged assassin

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese authorities have obtained court approval to extend the detention of the suspect in former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's assassination earlier this month for 10 more days until they file formal charges.

Abe, one of Japan's most influential politicians, was assassinated on July 8 in the western city of Nara, shocking a nation known for safety and strict gun control.

The alleged assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, was arrested immediately after the shooting and has been held for questioning.

He can be detained until July 29, when prosecutors must decide whether to formally press murder charges.

Nara prefectural police have said Yamagami, who had served in the Japanese navy in the early 2000s, told investigators that he killed Abe because of rumoured links between the former prime minister and a religious group that he hated.

Yamagami reportedly was distressed because his mother's massive donations to the Unification Church bankrupted the family.

Over the weekend, police obtained a letter they believe Yamagami had mailed to a journalist the day before the attack, describing how his mother's overspending destroyed and bankrupted his family because of her devotion to the church.

He said the experience “distorted my entire life.”

In the typed, one-page letter, the suspect allegedly said Abe was not his essential target even though he felt bitter toward him.

He said that Abe was just one of the “sympathisers” of the church and that it would be impossible to kill all members of the church's founding family — hinting at his decision to target Abe instead.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.