A 10-year-old Japanese boy stabbed by a man while on his way to school in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen died of his wounds early Thursday morning, the Japanese government said, sparking fears the incident will worsen already strained Sino-Japanese ties.
The boy, whose father is Japanese and mother is Chinese, according to Chinese media, was attacked near a Japanese school Wednesday morning and had been receiving treatment at a hospital. The suspect, 44, was apprehended by police stationed near the educational facility.
The stabbing sent shockwaves through the Japanese community in China. A Japanese businessman who lives in Guangdong Province with his family said, "We should be vigilant and take measures such as avoiding being heard speaking Japanese outdoors."
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the fatal stabbing of the schoolboy an "extremely despicable crime" and told reporters in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, that he has instructed officials to strongly urge Beijing to share information on the incident "as soon as possible."
The child was stabbed in the abdomen, according to Yoshiko Kijima, Japan's consul general in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province which also includes Shenzhen. It remains unclear whether the attacker intentionally targeted a Japanese national.
Eyewitnesses said the boy was bleeding from the stab wounds and was given a heart massage at the scene. The child's mother was with him at the time of the attack.
The stabbing followed a knife attack in Suzhou near Shanghai in June in which a Japanese mother and child were injured. A Chinese woman died while attempting to stop the assailant.
Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a Tokyo press conference, "We are deeply saddened" by the death of the boy, adding Japan will continue to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in China.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tokyo demanded Beijing "make every possible effort" to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals. She also instructed Japanese officials to craft measures to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
Given Wednesday marked the 93rd anniversary of a Japanese bombing of a railroad track near Shenyang, Japan had asked the Chinese Foreign Ministry last week to take thorough safety measures for Japanese schools, according to Kamikawa.
The 1931 bombing was the start of the Manchurian Incident that led to Japan's invasion and occupation of northeastern China which lasted until the end of World War II.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday the case is "under investigation" and vowed China will "continue to take effective measures to protect the safety of all foreigners" in the country.
The residence of Japan's Ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, flew a Japanese national flag at half-mast Thursday to mourn the boy, with the envoy heading to Shenzhen.
According to Kijima, the Shenzhen municipal government expressed regret over the incident and said the boy received first-rate medical care in the city where some 3,600 Japanese nationals reside.
A Chinese man in his 60s who accompanied his granddaughter to a kindergarten near the Japanese school in Shenzhen said he was surprised to learn of the fatal stabbing and it was "really regrettable." The man said he believes the suspect "cannot make a rational judgment."
Another Chinese man in his 60s, a Guangzhou resident, said the incident was "unforgivable," adding, "I'm worried about the possible negative impact on Sino-Japanese relations going forward."
Ties between the Asian neighbors have deteriorated over issues such as China's detention of Japanese nationals over espionage allegations and Beijing's total import ban on Japanese seafood, imposed after the country began releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in August last year.
It is feared that the series of attacks on Japanese nationals may further hinder bilateral exchanges and Japanese investment in China.
The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China said in a statement Thursday it has directly asked Kanasugi to take measures to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and that the entity will continue to urge both the Japanese and Chinese governments to pursue the truth about the incident.
© KYODO
52 Comments
Login to comment
Fighto!
Heartbreaking. Rest in Peace to the innocent boy.
Hard to fathom how Japanese parents can justify taking their kids with them to live in China.
Fighto!
And I hope the Chinese authorities do the right thing and execute this sick child killer. I believe they will.
Falco1
Very sorry for the loss of the child,the Chinese government is also responsible of alimenting this unnecessary rivalry against Japan.
For sure Japanese nationals should be careful there.
NCIS Reruns
That's an oversimplification as Japan had taken over operation of the South Manchuria Railway from 1906 and left its Kwantung Army to guard it from the end of the Sino-Russian War the year before.
Cephus
RIP Kid!! And may you find peace in the Lord.
deanzaZZR
RIP. What a terrible tragedy.
Some dude
And the endless, stupid, pointless cycle of violence continues.
One of many reasons I chose not to have children. Can you imagine brining them up in a world that simply refuses to try and get along?
yoshisan88
The police needs to find out whether the attacker is deliberately targeting Japanese student or just any student. Attack on students are not very common in China but it does happen from time to time, usually at kindergartens.
Some recent ones as detailed on Wikipedia, subject is "School attacks in China"
April 2021
On April 29, 2021, a knife-wielding man broke into a school, killing two children and wounding 16 others. The mass stabbing occurred in Beiliu, a city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of southern China. A man with the surname Zeng, aged 24, was apprehended by police. Authorities did not confirm a motive for the attack, but Hong Kong news outlets, including Oriental Daily and Apple Daily, reported that the suspect was going through a divorce and his wife worked at the school.[60]
August 2022
On August 3, 2022, three people were killed and six others wounded in a knife attack at a kindergarten in southeast China's Jiangxi province.[61] The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Liu Xiaohui, fled to a mountainous area in a neighboring county[which?] after the attack, and was arrested 12 hours later.[62]
April 2023
At 5:00 p.m. on April 19, 2023, a mentally unstable student allegedly stabbed seven people at the Qingdao Campus of Shandong University of Science and Technology with a knife, killing one. He was subsequently arrested.[63]
May 2023
On May 14, 2023, a sophomore of the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China allegedly stabbed two of his neighbours to death and severely injured his mother by beating her into a coma. The following day, he went to the Tongzhou campus of his school, where he allegedly stabbed three people, including the vice-principal, who is suspected dead.[64]
July 2023
On July 10, 2023, six people were killed and one wounded in a mass stabbing at a kindergarten in Lianjiang, Guangdong province. The suspect, a 25-year-old man with the surname Wu, was arrested by police.[65]
May 2024
On May 20, 2024, a woman stabbed twelve people with a fruit knife at a primary school in Guixi, Jiangxi, killing two. The suspect, a 45-year-old woman surnamed Pan, was arrested at the scene.[66][67]
Christopher
I do not think Japanese people are being targeted deliberately in China.
But Children are being targeted by the mentally ill or unstable.
Maybe China should start arming its teachers with mace, batons, stun guns and start doing walk on escorts in groups like they do in America.
A 10 year old losing his life no matter what Nationality or how death occurred is a unspeakable and horrible waste and tragedy.
The Chinese government on all levels should address more stringent security measures at its schools.
Hope they step up.
Zaphod
Christopher
You are unaware of the anti-Japanese riots that have erupted repeatedly?
That happens too. One does not exclude the other.
.
Japantime
Why does everyone assume this is about Chinese hating Japanese? The attacker didn’t say anything before he attacked. Unfortunately all the posters immediately blaming Chinese people increases the feeling of hate between races.
Ken
Because the nationality of the child is Japanese not Chinese. It doesn't matter what the attacker says or does not say. You can't tell me this was not targeted.
descendent
Assumptions are made based on past precedents, not to mention a long-held culture in China of racially demonizing the Japanese. The implicit government sanctioning of that mentality (i.e. choosing not to censor such inflammatory remarks) certainly doesn't help their case. And no, outraged posters on an internet board do not "increase feelings of hate", rather, it's unprovoked attacks on innocents and the apologists who defend them.
Zaphod
Japantime
Because it happened before. Of course it is possible the man picked the boy at random, but occam's razor says otherwise.
Strangerland
Occam's razor only relates to probability, not actuality.
In other words you can theorize all you want, but the truth is what actually happened, not what any theory tells you should have been more probable.
Mark
really sad to read the news. All the china citizen in Japan can enjoy the peace and friendly surroundings in Japan and they can walked to schools everyday without any worries, and in china, Japanese kids and parents need to live in fear and stay in alert all the times. It is no fair!
Bob
This is seriously concerning, targeted or not Id be asking my kids to wear a vest from now on.
elephant200
in china, Japanese kids and parents need to live in fear and stay in alert all the times. It is no fair!
Stop your anti China rhetorics, this man will be prosecuted and punishment is death penalty. China is a lawful country, it is something not all westerners understood !
Christopher
Zaphod
You are right I am not qualified to speak on the riots in China and really have not looked into it.
Perhaps your right.
tigerjane
First, why was this little boy walking alone? Usually, for foreign children there is a bus and or private car escort to school. When my American friend lived in China due to her husband work over there she never went out alone she was always driven from point A to B.
WiseOneIn Kansai
Nobody understands Chinese Law because it is never transparent!!
Request to share information with the Japanese Government.
I will wait in anticipation with the result of the Chinese Investigation.
stormcrow
That’s really sad. It seems like something that would only happen in a very backward country like China. If my company sent me to China, I wouldn’t bring my family to such a country.
Random
@tigerjane, the story clearly says that the boy’s mother was with him when he was attacked.
WoodyLee
I pray for the child and his parents during these hard days ahead, RIP little one.
I doubt if this was a hate crime but if it was I hope the Chinese authorities will punish the killer to full extent of the law.
Justice shall be served.
yoshisan88
From Wikipedia:
The Ikeda school massacre (sometimes referred to as the Osaka school massacre) was a school stabbing and mass murder that occurred in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on 8 June 2001. Mamoru Takuma, a 37-year-old ex-convict with a history of mentally disturbed and anti-social behavior, stabbed eight students to death and seriously wounded fifteen others in a knife attack that lasted several minutes. Takuma was sentenced to death in August 2003, and executed in September 2004.
According to your logic japan was a backward country 20 years ago. Is it still backward now?
Mocheake
Foreign school teachers have been murdered in Japan so I guess it's just as "backward." Crime happens everywhere and we don't know this man's motive, however ridiculous that may be but I'm sure we'll get the full story soon. I'm pretty sure that no matter the state of diplomatic relations, the CCP did not wish something like this to happen. Hating on the whole country is unwarranted. RIP to the young boy.
OssanAmerica
Death penalty. Which in China shouldn't be too hard to secure. A diplomatic solution.
Speed
When you spew hate, it contaminates all that come in contact with it. The Chinese government needs to stop propogating hate, revenge, and blame on Japan for atrocities that happened 80-90 years ago. It has nothing to do with the current generation of Japanese and especially a 10 year old boy.
mountainpear
@Mocheake Doubt it! China often hides things that are unfavorable.
Stormcrow's comment was ridiculous, but I only know of the murder of one teacher and that was Lindsay Hawker! Have there been others?
All that is needed is a little bit of torture like they use in Xinjiang concentration camps, and they would have got the answer why he did it by now!
Gaijinjland
According to other outlets, the nationality of the victim has not yet been disclosed by China or Japan. Not all the students at the school are Japanese. Still despicable and tragic.
bass4funk
I agree.
Jordi Puentealto
Just too sad. Imagine if a 10 year old Chinese boy was stabbed in Japan. The Japanese embassy in Beijing, consulates in China, perhaps banks and companies would have demonstrations in their door steps. And Chinese would advocate to boycott Japanese products.
mountainpear
Gaijinland According to a New York Times article the school's website says only Japanese nationals can attend!
nandakandamanda
His mother was with him, and his mother is Chinese. (Mentioned in the article.)
We can even imagine they were speaking Chinese together.
ebisen
I fully blame the Chinese government and politicians for this tragedy. You have his blood on your dirty hands.
iron man
tragic, circumstances or not, let the young ones walk alone with the red? card russack and experience self-responsibility, or molly coddle them on school buses? tragic world, but it only happens in china... for sure guns are illegal in PRC and jpn
Nibek32
Just awful.
China is not a safe place to visit for foreigners.
Gaijinjland
@mountainpear
Then a Chinese national was killed as well, since the mom is Chinese and they were living in China. Sad.
lostrune2
Chinese society rotting into decadence. RIP
owzer
Somehow this must be Trump's fault.
LiberalsWA4TKG
This was not a COINCIDENCE
Norm
This is very sad, and the possible motives are numerous.
Nobody except you has mentioned Trump or liberals. It might be time to put down the bottle and go to bed.
Data
I believe you commented on the wrong article.
nandakandamanda
Trying to figure out why I got minus four for restating facts in the article.
Random unbalanced citizen has to be high on the list of possibilities, or a family feud, or the school has some kind of local reputation?
The article does not say if the kids have to wear a uniform, which might have stood out and made him a target.
nandakandamanda
Either way, a sickening story with a very sad ending.
owzer
This is the one about the crazy Chinese guy stabbing a Japanese boy, right?
Data
Yes.
owzer
I meant to comment here.
Strangerland
Oh, so it was intentionally making a stupid comment, and not accidental. Thanks for letting us know.
Someone's got themselves a case of the TDS.
Meanwhile, back to the topic at hand...
Data
Alright. Well, whatever you are trying to do, you are trying too hard.
owzer
You're more right than you know. Completely rational comments get deleted here because moderators lack the ability (or are simply unwilling) to see that a) it's on topic and, b) that opinions other people have won't actually hurt you.
So I resort to shxtposting because it's fun. But I'm probably trying too hard.
englisc aspyrgend
Perhaps it is time for Japanese companies to pull their employees and investment out of West Taiwan?
The CCP’s continuous spewing of hate propaganda especially that targeting Japan as a distraction from their own failings can, has and will lead to events like this and the innocent and in this case an innocent child will continue to pay the price.