Japanese Elementary Student Attacked in Shenzhen, China Dies... Japan Calls It "Serious and Grave"

In Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, a Japanese elementary school student who was stabbed by an assailant on the 18th died after one day.

The Japanese Embassy in China announced on the 19th via social media (SNS) that "a child attending the Japanese school in Shenzhen was attacked on the way to school on the 18th, was injured, and ultimately passed away in the early hours of the 19th as treatment was ineffective."

On the morning of the 18th, an elementary school student from the Shenzhen Japanese School was attacked by an assailant while going to school.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The Japanese Embassy stated, "We take this situation very seriously," and added, "We hope the Chinese government will make every effort to protect Japanese residents in China and thoroughly investigate the truth."

The previous morning, a 10-year-old elementary school student attending the Japanese school in Shenzhen was attacked by an assailant about 200 meters from the school gate while going to school and was taken to the hospital. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the suspect was apprehended at the scene on the day of the incident. However, when asked whether the suspect committed a 'hate crime,' they responded, "Under further investigation," without providing an answer.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao to express serious concern and urged thorough measures to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in China.

Earlier in June, an incident occurred in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, where a Chinese man wielded a weapon against three people, including a Japanese mother and child, resulting in one death. This marks another crime targeting Japanese people within just three months.

On the day of the incident, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated, "This is an extremely vile crime and a grave and serious matter." Regarding the impact of this incident on China-Japan relations, he said, "I will refrain from making premature judgments at this point, but we will strongly demand a factual explanation from the Chinese side first," and added, "We must do everything possible as the Japanese government while demanding the Chinese side ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and prevent recurrence."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Zhen said at a briefing, "This incident is an individual case, and similar incidents can occur in any country," expressing "regret and sorrow over the unfortunate event." This is interpreted as drawing a line from the incident that occurred in Suzhou in June. Lin also added, "We believe that individual incidents will not affect exchanges and cooperation between China and Japan."

When asked about the motive behind the Suzhou incident three months ago, Lin dismissed the question, saying, "As far as I know, that case is still under further investigation."