Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of killing former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, has apologized to Abe's family for the first time during a court hearing. Yamagami, who pleaded guilty to murder, expressed that he felt "deeply sorry" towards Abe's widow, Akie Abe. Yamagami shot Shinzo Abe with a homemade gun at a campaign event in Nara city on 8 July 2022. Abe died that same day in hospital. His death shocked Japan and the world. Abe was known for his strong foreign policy and his economic plan called "Abenomics." In court, Yamagami said, "I have caused [the family] three and a half years of suffering... I have no excuse." He told investigators that he attacked Abe because he blamed him for supporting the Unification Church. Yamagami claimed that the church had bankrupted his mother and family. The Unification Church, started in South Korea and famous for mass weddings, faced investigations after Abe’s assassination. In March this year, a Tokyo court ordered the church to disband, but the church said it would "fight to the end." Before the assassination, the church was already controversial for teaching that marriage is the key to spiritual salvation. Abe’s grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, a former Japanese prime minister, was reportedly close to the Unification Church due to its anti-communist beliefs. Abe himself had spoken at events related to the church. In a hearing last month, prosecutors read a statement from Akie Abe, in which she said, "The sorrow of losing a husband will not be relieved."