The 67-year-old former head of government died last Friday after 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami shot him from a close range during a campaign rally in the city of Nara.
The former member of the Japanese navy told prosecutors that he began plotting the attempt on Abe last fall, Kansai television channel cited police sources as saying.
Tetsuya Yamagami, bottom, is detained near the site of gunshots in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, Friday, July 8, 2022
© AP Photo / Katsuhiko Hirano
Investigators reportedly said Yamagami trained shooting in the mountains. He fired a handmade gun that he crafted from metal tubes using a design he found on the internet.
A closed-door farewell ceremony for the longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s post-war history was held in Tokyo on Monday and a private funeral is scheduled for Tuesday.