2025-11-17
25 分钟The Economist.
Hello and welcome to the intelligence from the Economist.
I'm your host, Rosie Blore.
Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.
Three years ago, former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was killed in Japan by an assassin with a homemade gun.
Now the shooter's trial is underway.
Our correspondent explains what this case tells us about the state of the country today.
And grenades and waters were okay.
Terrorist devices with their unpredictable wiring and explosives were trickier.
Peter Gurney spent decades defusing bombs all over the world.
Our obituary editor marks his peaceful passing.
But first,
Recently, I visited a court in Nara in western Japan, where I joined hundreds of people standing outside of the court.
These people had come to witness the beginning of the trial of Yamagami Tetsuya,
the man who assassinated former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.
Moeko Eida is our East Asia reporter.
On July 8th, 2022, Abe was giving a campaign speech ahead of an election.
Yamagami approached him with a handmade gun and shot him twice.
Horrifying footage of Abe collapsing after the gunshot was played over and over again on the news.
The incident was very shocking in Japan, a country where gun violence is almost unheard of,