A Japanese court has sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life in prison, for fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe three and a half years ago. Yamagami was arrested in July 2022 after firing at Abe ​with a homemade gun during a campaign speech in the city of Nara. Although Abe was no longer Japan's leader at the time, he remained a powerful force within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. His assassination also brought to light a deep link between the party and the Unification Church, an organization many consider a cult. Abe's protegee Sanae Takaichi now leads Japan and the LDP, but the party's grip on power has considerably diminished.