Student on his way to Japanese school in China attacked by man

TOKYO/SHENZHEN — A Japanese boy was stabbed by a man while on his way to school in a southern Chinese city on Wednesday morning and taken to a local hospital, according to Japanese government officials and Chinese authorities.

The 10-year-old student was attacked on a street about 200 meters from the Japanese school he attended in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, and the 44-year-old suspect was apprehended at the scene, according to city authorities.

The Japanese consulate general in Guangzhou, the capital of the province, said early Thursday that the boy is in serious condition at the hospital.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press conference in Beijing that the case is "still under investigation." China will "continue to take effective measures to protect the safety of all foreigners" in the country, he added.

The Japanese school in Shenzhen decided to close for the rest of the week.

In Tokyo, Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao and conveyed "serious concerns" over the stabbing incident in Shenzhen.

The boy's mother was with him at the time of the attack, according to eyewitnesses.

Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi told reporters, "We repeated our call on the Chinese side to guard Japanese residents."

The Japanese consulate general has asked authorities to share details and dispatched staff to the area to gather information and provide necessary assistance, Japanese government spokesman Hiroshi Moriya told a press conference in Tokyo.

The incident followed a knife attack in Suzhou near Shanghai in June, in which a Japanese mother and child were injured, and a Chinese woman died while attempting to stop the assailant.

Wednesday marked the 93rd anniversary of the Japanese bombing of a railroad track near Shenyang, the start of the Manchurian Incident that led to Japan's invasion of northeastern China in 1931.

Some comments posted on Chinese social media urged people to "not forget national humiliation." Hateful messages like "Japanese people should leave China" and "Be careful of spies at Japanese schools" also appeared on Weibo, China's equivalent of X.

Moriya, a deputy chief Cabinet secretary, pledged that the Japanese government will continue to make every effort to ensure the safety of its citizens in China.

He added that 350 million yen ($2.5 million) has been included in budget requests for fiscal 2025 starting next April to enhance security measures for buses serving Japanese schools in China, following the knife attack at a bus stop and aboard a Japanese school bus in Suzhou.

Following Wednesday's incident, the Japanese Embassy in Beijing issued an alert, saying there have been stabbings across China and encouraging people to be vigilant.

Other Japanese schools, including those in Guangzhou and Beijing, urged students and their parents to avoid being heard speaking Japanese outdoors and recommended that children not go out unless accompanied by an adult.

It is feared that the series of attacks on Japanese nationals in China may further strain bilateral relations and hinder Japanese investment in the country, as well as personal exchanges between the two nations.

A senior official at a Japanese electronics company said, "If a series of similar incidents occur, it's no coincidence. We have no choice but to be cautious about our business in China."

© KYODO