Tetsuya Yamagami, accused of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial in Tokyo, admitting that “everything is true.”

Yamagami used a homemade gun to shoot Abe during a 2022 campaign event in Nara, killing him and sparking global shock.

He told investigators he targeted Abe because he blamed him for promoting the Unification Church, which Yamagami said financially ruined his mother through large donations.

The assassination prompted investigations into the church, leading to ministerial resignations and, earlier this year, a Tokyo court ordering its disbandment and asset liquidation, the BBC has reported.

Yamagami denies violating arms control laws, arguing his homemade gun did not fall under the legal category of firearms, and the trial is expected to continue until January.