He believed that the former prime minister had strong ties with the Unification Church — a controversial religious group — that allegedly caused financial ruin for him and his family.

The shooting led to several developments: the Unification Church is now on the brink of having its special tax-exempt status revoked; stricter legislation to compensate victims of coercive donation tactics by religious groups is in place; and the police have beefed up measures to prevent lone-wolf attacks.

But one thing proceeding at a snail’s pace is the criminal procedure against Yamagami, due to the sensitivity, complexity and social impact of the case.