Episode 1: Political Violence in the “World’s Safest Country”

Japan is often seen as one of the safest countries in the world. Yet within three years, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated, Fumio Kishida was targeted with a pipe bomb, and Takashi Tachibana was attacked with an axe. In this episode, Keigo Furnival explores these incidents, the concept of heiwa boke, and what they reveal about political violence, security, and public perceptions of risk in modern Japan.