Abe's assassination stunned the country where there is virtually no gun crime.
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Tetsuya Yamagami had pleaded guilty to murder charges at the trial's opening last year, but how he should be punished has divided public opinion in Japan. While many see the 45-year-old as a cold-blooded murderer, some sympathise with his troubled upbringing.
Prosecutors said Yamagami deserved life imprisonment for his "grave act". Abe's assassination stunned the country, where there is virtually no gun crime.
Seeking leniency, Yamagami's defence team said he was a victim of "religious abuse".
His mother's devotion to the Unification Church bankrupted the family, and Yamagami bore a grudge against Abe after realising the ex-leader's ties to the controversial church, the court heard.
On Wednesday, Judge Shinichi Tanaka from the Nara district court sentenced Yamagami to life in prison without parole, as the prosecution had requested.
"The act of waiting for an opportunity, finding an opening, and targeting the victim with a gun is despicable and extremely malicious," said the judge, public broadcaster NHK reports.
Yamagami sat quietly with his hands clasped and eyes downcast as the sentence was handed down. Nearly 700 people had lined up in the cold to try to get one of the 31 seats inside the courtroom to attend the hearing.
Abe's shocking death in broad daylight prompted investigations into the Unification Church and its questionable practices, including soliciting financially ruinous donations from its followers.
The case also exposed links with politicians from Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and resulted in the resignations of several cabinet ministers.
Journalist Eito Suzuki, who covered all but one of Yamagami's court hearings, said Yamagami and his family seemed "overwhelmed with despair" throughout the trial.
Yamagami "exud
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