The man accused of assassinating former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has apologised to the ex-leader`s family for the first time.

Tetsuya Yamagami, who earlier pleaded guilty to murder, told the court on Thursday that he felt "deeply sorry" towards Abe`s widow, Akie.

Yamagami used a homemade gun to shoot Abe during a political campaign event in the western city of Nara on 8 July 2022. He died in the hospital on the same day.

Abe`s death sent shockwaves around the world. He was known for his hawkish foreign policy and a signature economic strategy that popularly came to be known as "Abenomics".

"I have caused [the family] three and a half years of suffering... I have no excuse," Yamagami told the court on Thursday, according to local media.

He reportedly told investigators he attacked Abe because he blamed the ex-prime minister for allegedly promoting the Unification Church, which Yamagami said had bankrupted his mother and the wider family.

Yamagami`s allegations prompted investigations into the Unification Church, which started in South Korea and is known for its mass weddings.

In March this year, a Tokyo court ordered the church to disband - a ruling that the church said it would "fight to the end".

The Unification Church has drawn controversy even before Abe`s assassination, for teaching that marriage is central to spiritual salvation.

Abe`s grandfather Nobusuke Kishi, who was also Japan`s prime minister, was known to have been close to the Unification Church because of its anti-communist nature. Abe himself had spoken at events related to the group.

During a hearing last month, prosecutors read out a statement from Abe`s widow in which she wrote: "The sorrow of losing a husband will not be relieved."

Source: AFP