On the way to school the day before, a 10-year-old Japanese student in Shenzhen, China, was stabbed with a knife. The student passed away early on Thursday. The sad event was confirmed by the Japanese Embassy in China.
This attack is a follow-up to a similar event that happened in June at a Japanese school in Suzhou when a man attacked a bus, killing a Chinese woman who attempted to shield pupils and wounding two more.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Wednesday that the teenager was attacked by a man approximately 200 meters away from the school gate. The pupil was sent to the nearby hospital right away.
The attack happened at 8 a.m., and the police apprehended the suspected culprit, a 44-year-old male with the surname Zhong, there and then. This was verified in a statement from Shenzhen's Nanshan Police Station.
The student was named in the police report as a minor with a Chinese surname; however, the student's nationality was later confirmed as Japanese by the Japanese Consulate-General in Guangzhou and Japan's Foreign Ministry.
On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his "deep sorrow" upon hearing of the student's passing. He emphasized that Japan sees the incident as a "grave and serious" situation and referred to the act as "an extremely heinous crime."
Kishida said Japan is committed to supporting the family but refrained from commenting on the potential impact this incident could have on Japan-China relations. He did, however, state that Japan will demand a clear explanation from Chinese authorities.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, during a news conference on Thursday, said that Japan had dispatched its consulate general in Guangzhou to investigate the scene. He added that Japan will continue to press China to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals.
Hayashi also emphasized the need for enhanced safety measures at Japanese schools in China, stating, “We will make every effort to prevent a recurrence, including safety measures for Japanese schools.”
In response to the attack, Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao on Wednesday evening. Okano expressed "deep concern" over the incident and requested that China take appropriate steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry recently proposed a ¥350 million ($2.4 million) budget to enhance security for Japanese school buses in China, prompted by the earlier June incident in Suzhou. The funds would be used to hire security guards for buses at the 11 Japanese schools across nine cities in China.
Many Japanese political figures have called for the government to push China for a response. Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said, "We must continue to demand a strict and sincere response from the Chinese government."
Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato also urged the Japanese government to "strongly demand that Chinese authorities thoroughly investigate the incident and implement concrete measures to prevent a recurrence," as posted on X.
Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi expressed his deep sadness, stating on his official X account that he was “at a loss for words” over the family’s grief. He added that the recent incidents involving Japanese schools in China are a significant concern.
The attack occurred on the 93rd anniversary of the Mukden Incident, which triggered Japan’s invasion of Manchuria. Anti-Japan sentiment tends to intensify in China around this historical date.
Shenzhen, where the attack took place, is China’s third-most populous city and was the country's first special economic zone. It, along with Guangdong Province, is home to 11,901 Japanese nationals and 1,605 Japanese companies as of 2022 and 2021, respectively, according to the Japanese Consulate-General in Guangzhou.
The recent string of attacks, alongside worsening diplomatic relations between Japan and China, has left Japanese businesses in China concerned. These developments have also diminished interest in further investments in the country.
The incident has shocked many, both in China and Japan, and raised urgent concerns about the safety of Japanese nationals, particularly students, living in China.
