The man accused of murdering former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a firearm on July 8 will undergo a psychiatric examination to determine your criminal responsibility for the crimeJapanese media reported this Saturday.
The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, was arrested just following shooting Shinzo Abe twice with a gun he made himself, at a pre-Senate election rally in Nara, western Japan.
On Friday, the Nara district court approved a request by prosecutors for Yamagami to undergo a psychiatric examination, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and other local media reported on Saturday, citing sources close to the investigation.
The interrogation of the suspect will stop during this period., according to the press. In Japan, a suspect can be held in police custody and questioned for up to 23 days without being formally charged.
According to the media, the psychiatric examination will allow tax determine whether or not the alleged murderer is criminally responsible for his actions, before deciding whether to bring charges once morest him.
It was not possible to contact the prosecution or the court on Saturday to confirm these press reports.
According to the police, Yamagami stated that shot Abe because he believed the former head of government was linked to the Unification Churcha religious movement of South Korean origin also known as the “Moon sect”.
Yamagami’s mother would have made large donations to that religious movement and her son attributes his family’s financial difficulties to that. According to the Unification Church, Abe was “never” one of its members or advisers.