The Unification Church, whose close ties with Japan's governing party have emerged after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, acknowledged Thursday that it had accepted “excessive” donations from the suspect's mother, and that it would need to consider it seriously if that led to the killing.
Abe was shot to death during an outdoor campaign speech in July. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told police he killed Abe because of his apparent link to a religious group he hated. A letter and social media postings attributed to him said his mother's large donations to the church bankrupted his family and ruined his life.
