A man accused of killing Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe has pleaded guilty, three years after the assassination in broad daylight shocked the world.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, stood accused of murder and violations of arms control laws for allegedly using a handmade weapon to shoot dead Japan's longest-serving leader as he gave a speech in July 2022.
"Everything is true," Yamagami said in court.
The trial opens the same day as two of Mr Abe's former allies, incumbent Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and visiting US President Donald Trump, hold a summit.
Yamagami was arrested at the scene of the shooting in July 2022 after allegedly firing at Mr Abe with a homemade gun while the former premier was giving a speech during an election campaign in the western Japanese city of Nara.
Yamagami blamed Mr Abe for promoting the Unification Church, a religious group he held a grudge against after his mother donated some 100 million yen to it, local media reported.
The Unification Church was founded in South Korea in 1954.
The shooting was followed by revelations that more than 100 members of Mr Abe's Liberal Democratic Party had ties to the Unification Church, driving down public support for the ruling party which is now led by Ms Takaichi.
After today's first court session, 17 more hearings are scheduled by year-end before a verdict on 21 January.
