"Don't Speak Japanese Outside"... Anxiety Spreads Over Chinese Child Assault Death Incident

Ensuring Thorough Safety Education at Schools and Homes
Some Japanese Companies Also Support Repatriation

Recently, a Japanese child was attacked and killed in China, and it has been reported that some Japanese families in China are even advising their children "not to speak Japanese outside."

A Japanese elementary school student was attacked and killed by a Chinese assailant. The photo shows the main gate of the school the student attended.
[Image source=Hong Kong Ming Pao]

On the 22nd, Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported that Japanese parents raising children in China are taking special care to protect their children. A Japanese woman in her 40s living in Liaoning Province in northeastern China, who has a child the same age (10 years old) as the attacked child who died, told Asahi Shimbun, "I prefer not to let my child go outside the house if possible. We teach them not to speak Japanese outside."

Some parents do not allow their children to use the school bags typically used by Japanese students due to fears that they might become targets of crime. A Japanese man in his 60s living in Dalian City, Liaoning Province, with a Chinese wife said, "I made my daughter, who attends a Japanese school, carry a school bag with an ordinary appearance."

A Japanese school in Beijing also conveyed precautions to parents, such as "Do not speak Japanese loudly in public places" and "Do not let children go out alone."

Earlier, on the 18th, in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, a 44-year-old man stabbed a 10-year-old boy on his way to a Japanese school with a knife. The incident occurred on a sidewalk about 200 meters from the school, which added to the shock. The victim was immediately taken to the hospital but ultimately died that morning. The suspect was arrested by the police, but the motive for the crime has not yet been revealed. However, since the incident occurred on the 93rd anniversary of the Manchurian Incident in 1931, when Japan invaded Manchuria, there is an interpretation that this was a hate crime targeting Japanese people.

Following this incident, some Japanese companies in China announced that they would support their employees and their families in returning to Japan.

Recently, hate crimes against Japanese people have continued in China. In June, in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, a Chinese man wielded a knife against three people: a Japanese elementary school student on their way home, the student's mother, and a Chinese school bus attendant. At that time, the Japanese woman and her preschool-aged son were injured, and the Chinese female attendant of the Japanese school bus, who was seriously injured while protecting the mother and child, eventually died while receiving treatment.