A tragic incident occurred at a Japanese school in southern China where a 10-year-old student died after being stabbed. The boy, attending the Shenzhen Japanese School, was pronounced dead early Thursday due to his injuries, as confirmed by Japanese officials.
Local authorities apprehended the suspect, identified only as Zhong, a 44-year-old man, at the scene of the crime. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa condemned the attack as “despicable,” urging Chinese authorities for a prompt explanation regarding the incident.
“This should never happen in any country,” Kamikawa expressed, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. While the victim’s nationality has not been officially confirmed, the Shenzhen Japanese School’s website indicates that it serves children of Japanese nationality.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, although experts have raised concerns about rising nationalist sentiments in China, potentially leading to violence against foreigners. In an unsettling parallel, a similar incident occurred in June when a man targeted a Japanese mother and child near a school in Suzhou, resulting in the death of a Chinese citizen who attempted to intervene.
Although Chinese officials have characterized these events as “isolated incidents,” the Japanese embassy has called on China to take proactive steps to prevent future occurrences. In an earlier incident, four American teachers were also victims of a stabbing in Jilin, raising further alarm.
During a press conference, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson stated that the stabbing in Shenzhen is currently under investigation and assured that measures are being taken to ensure the safety of foreigners in the country.
Notably, this stabbing took place on the anniversary of the Mukden Incident, a pivotal event in history marking Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931, an episode that has continued to strain relations between Japan and China. Experts suggest that years of anti-Japanese sentiments propagated in Chinese education might have contributed to such violence.
In response to the incident, several Japanese schools in China have alerted parents and taken precautionary measures. The Guangzhou Japanese School has even suspended activities and advised against speaking Japanese publicly. Earlier this year, the Japanese government sought funding to enhance security measures for school buses in China, underscoring growing concerns about the safety of Japanese nationals abroad.
