Japan official urges China to ensure expat safety after boy's murder

A Japanese senior vice foreign minister on Monday strongly urged Beijing to take concrete steps to ensure the safety of expatriates in China after the fatal stabbing of a Japanese schoolboy in the southern city of Shenzhen last week, the Japanese government said.

During a meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, Yoshifumi Tsuge demanded that Beijing clarify the facts about the case, including the suspect's motive, "as soon as possible" and provide detailed information to Japan, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

But Sun did not give a clear response to his request to provide information on the attacker's motive and the background of the case, Tsuge later told reporters.

The 10-year-old boy, whose father is Japanese and mother is Chinese, died early Thursday morning after he was stabbed in the abdomen the previous day while on his way to a Japanese school in Shenzhen. The male suspect was apprehended by police stationed near the educational facility.

Chinese authorities have yet to reveal the assailant's motive, but speculation has been rife that the suspect intentionally targeted a Japanese child as the killing occurred on the 93rd anniversary of a Japanese bombing of a railroad track near Shenyang, the start of the Manchurian Incident that led to Japan's invasion and occupation of northeastern China.

Tsuge also urged China to tighten control over abusive social media posts targeting Japan, including unfounded claims about Japanese schools in China, as a preventive measure to avoid similar incidents, the ministry said. Some Chinese social media posts claim that the schools train spies.

"Unless (China) offers us the cause and motive, we cannot make instructions. So I strongly wish the Chinese government will properly address" this issue, the senior vice minister said.

Tsuge urged the two Asian neighbors to take specific steps to improve the security of expatriates, including the exchange of information between Japanese diplomatic establishments in China and local security authorities in areas with Japanese schools.

Sun pledged that Beijing will resolutely oppose and control violence, stating that "children in all countries should be prioritized for protection" and assured that the safety of foreigners in China, including Japanese residents, will be secured. He added that Chinese authorities were also shocked by the recent stabbing, the ministry said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference in Beijing that Sun and Tsuge affirmed the two countries' efforts to "properly and calmly handle this unfortunate incident" and agreed to maintain communication on the matter and prevent such cases from affecting bilateral relations.

Later in the day, Tsuge met with representatives of the Japanese community in Beijing and announced that the Japanese government has allocated 43 million yen as an emergency measure to enhance security at 12 Japanese schools in China, including those in Hong Kong.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Monday urged Beijing in talks with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi to take steps to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens, especially children, in the country.

Kamikawa also demanded Beijing provide in-depth information about the incident to Tokyo and crack down on anti-Japanese social network and other online postings immediately, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

She added that China should make more efforts to remove obstacles hindering better exchanges between the two countries, the ministry said.

It quoted Wang as saying in his response that what happened was an "incidental, individual case that we also did not want to see" and that Chinese authorities will handle it in line with the law.

© KYODO