Man admits murdering Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe

A man on trial accused of shooting dead Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has admitted to his murder.

"It is true that I did it," said Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, who admitted the charges read by prosecutors, according to broadcaster NHK.

He appeared at Nara District Court in a black top and grey trousers, with his long hair tied in a ponytail.

He allegedly shot Mr Abe in July 2022 with a homemade firearm during an election speech in Japan's western city of Nara.

Yamagami held a grudge against the controversial religious movement, Unification Church, which he believed had close ties to Mr Abe and other Japanese politicians.

He told officials that massive donations his mother made to the church, which was founded in South Korea a year after the Korean War ended in 1953, caused his family's financial collapse.

The court hearing coincided with a visit to Japan by Donald Trump, who called Shinzo Abe a "great friend of mine and a great friend of yours".

He was the first foreign leader to meet Mr Trump after his 2016 election victory, and the pair went on to forge a close bond.