JAPANESE prosecutors have indicted the man suspected of killing former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a local district court said on Friday (Jan 13).

Nara District Public Prosecutors Office indicted Tetsuya Yamagami, 42, on murder charges as well as for violating gun laws, said a court spokesperson.

The indictment came after the conclusion of a roughly six-month psychiatric evaluation, local media reported.

In a crime that shocked the world, Yamagami was arrested on Jul 8, after allegedly shooting Abe with a handmade gun as the former premier was giving a speech at an election campaign in the western city of Nara.

He reportedly held a grudge against the Unification Church for impoverishing his family, saying that it had persuaded his mother to donate around 100 million yen (S$1 million). He also blamed Abe for promoting the religious organisation.

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The Unification Church was founded in South Korea in 1954, and is famous for its mass weddings. It relies on its followers in Japan as a key source of income.

The killing shed light on evidence revealing deep and longstanding relations between the church and lawmakers in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

The LDP has denied any organisational link to the church, but has acknowledged many lawmakers’ ties to the religious group.

The approval rate for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government fell to record lows amid revelations about connections between the church and many LDP lawmakers.

The premier replaced ministers with ties to the church from his cabinet in August, and the persistent uproar over links to the church forced the resignation of his economic revitalisation minister in October.

In November, Japan launched a probe into the church that could threaten its legal status following the assassination of Abe. REUTERS