NARA—Defense lawyers for the man accused of murdering former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his mother’s fervent religious activities and donations to the Unification Church pushed her son into a desperate situation.

Called as a witness by the defense team on Nov. 13, the mother was surrounded by partitions at the Nara District Court so that she could not be seen from the gallery.

Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, has said he fatally shot Abe in July 2022 because of his ties to the church, now formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. The suspect said his mother’s huge donations ruined the family as well as his future.

“You have something you want to say first, don’t you?” the defense team asked her.

The mother slowly and somewhat nervously said: “I should have apologized immediately, but I was unable to do so. Today, I want to make that apology. I sincerely apologize for what my son did.”

She continued, “To former Prime Minister Abe, to Mrs. Akie, and to the bereaved family members, I offer my heartfelt apologies.”

When asked by the defense about her current faith, the mother replied, “I still believe in the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.”

Yamagami glanced briefly toward the partition but kept his face angled downward throughout her testimony.

The defense team aims to show that Yamagami’s crime stemmed from “religious abuse” in his family and was not an act of political terrorism.

The defense asked the mother what happened when Yamagami was 4 years old.

“My husband committed suicide,” she said. “Due to work-related issues, he became like an alcoholic and depressed, and he was recuperating at home. Seeing him drink at home made me irritated, and I treated the children harshly.”

She also said her irritation was “cleansed” after she started attending the church’s morning gatherings.

“I was able to be kind to my husband and children. However, when it became clear that I was leaving the children behind to attend gatherings and making monetary offerings, my husband began to oppose it. Other family members also opposed it, and I felt frustrated,” she said.

She said she provided 500,000 yen ($3,200) in donations at the morning gatherings.

Asked how she felt about her husband’s suicide, she said: “I was angry, wondering why he would do such a thing. I also regretted that if I had been kinder, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Before her testimony, the defense read aloud emails exchanged between Yamagami, his mother, and his sister, and showed records that the mother had traveled to South Korea, where the church’s headquarters are located, more than 30 times.

Yamagami and his older brother opposed her religious activities and expressed economic grievances with her, the defense said.

Emails exchanged between April 18 and 20, 2012, showed complaints to the mother about the family’s life and the condition of the older brother.

“Continuing to do foolish things is beyond unacceptable,” one of the emails said. “What do you plan to do in old age?”

In an email, Yamagami railed against his mother: “Are you planning to go to South Korea again? What about the money?”

The rant continued: “You didn’t invest in your children, but invested in religion and ruined the household finances—what on earth are you?”