Shooter of ex-PM Abe addresses mother's church ties in 1st court statement

The man standing trial for the 2022 assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke in court for the first time on Thursday, addressing his mother's involvement with the Unification Church and its impact on his perspective."My outlook on life and how I think radically changed," Tetsuya Yamagami said during the 10th hearing at the Nara District Court when asked how his life had shifted after his mother became a follower of the religious group. It was one of his first statements in court since the trial began in October.The 45-year-old defendant also apologized for his action…READ FULL ARTICLE