A 10-year-old Japanese boy who was stabbed while walking to his school in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on Wednesday has died, the Japanese Consulate General in Guangzhou confirmed on Thursday. The boy was a student at Shenzhen Japanese School, and despite undergoing surgery at a local hospital, he succumbed to his injuries early Thursday morning.
The incident has sent shockwaves through both the Japanese community in China and the wider global audience, heightening concerns over the safety of Japanese nationals living abroad. A 44-year-old Chinese man has been detained by Chinese authorities, but the motive for the stabbing remains unclear. Investigations into the tragic event are ongoing as tensions rise between the two nations regarding the safety and well-being of Japanese citizens living in China.
The attack occurred just 200 meters from the Shenzhen Japanese School, a small distance that has instilled fear among parents and community members who frequent the area. The boy, whose name has not been publicly released, was attacked on the street as he made his way to school. Eyewitness accounts describe the severity of the attack, with the boy suffering deep slashes to his abdomen and leg. Despite receiving immediate medical attention and undergoing surgery, the injuries proved too severe, and the boy passed away the next morning.
Witnesses reported scenes of horror as the boy’s mother, who was walking with him at the time of the attack, screamed in anguish, her hands soaked in her son’s blood. “What have you done to my child? Help!” she reportedly cried, trying desperately to save her son. The randomness and brutality of the attack have left the community in shock, especially parents who feel that what should have been a normal, peaceful day turned into a nightmare.
In response to the stabbing, Shenzhen Japanese School was temporarily closed, and authorities have significantly increased security at other Japanese schools across China. The Japanese community, already on edge following a similar attack in June in Suzhou, has been shaken to its core by this second violent incident targeting Japanese nationals. After the Suzhou stabbing, in which a Japanese woman and her child were attacked, the Japanese government had urged Chinese authorities to take immediate measures to protect Japanese citizens. Now, in light of this recent tragedy, those concerns have only deepened.
“We are all living in fear now,” one Japanese mother of two children said. “This attack happened on a road we often walk. I won’t let my son wear his Japanese school backpack anymore because I don’t want people to know he’s Japanese.”
Another parent expressed similar fears: “We’ll try not to speak Japanese when we’re out in public.” This palpable sense of fear and uncertainty has rippled through the entire Japanese expatriate community in China, a group that had generally felt secure in cities like Shenzhen, known for its booming tech industry and cosmopolitan nature.
The Japanese government, led by Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi, has voiced strong concerns over the lack of transparency regarding the incident. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Kanasugi expressed his frustration: “There has been no detailed explanation from the Chinese side. The entire Japanese community in China is feeling a sense of danger, and I urge the authorities to handle this matter appropriately.”
Japan’s government has officially requested that the Chinese government disclose more information about the stabbing and take all necessary steps to protect Japanese nationals residing in China. This request follows a pattern of increasing diplomatic tension between the two nations over the safety of Japanese expatriates, particularly in the wake of several violent incidents.
In a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian assured reporters that “effective measures are being taken to keep foreign residents safe,” but declined to provide specific details about the stabbing incident. Lin’s statement, however, has done little to quell the growing fears among Japanese residents in China, who are demanding stronger assurances from both the Chinese and Japanese governments.
The fatal stabbing in Shenzhen comes at a time when anti-Japanese sentiment is still bubbling under the surface in certain parts of China, despite the general sense of calm that typically prevails in cities like Shenzhen. The timing of the attack coincided with the 93rd anniversary of the Mukden Incident, a historically significant moment that ignited the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Nationalist sentiments often flare around such anniversaries, with online forums and social media serving as platforms for heightened rhetoric.
In fact, following the attack, several posts on Chinese social media reminded citizens not to forget “the nation’s humiliation,” a reference to the historical wounds inflicted by Japan during its occupation of parts of China in the early 20th century. Though major Chinese tech companies have made efforts to curb online posts that incite anti-Japanese feelings, the enduring memory of wartime atrocities continues to stoke underlying tensions.
Chinese residents in Shenzhen, however, seem to have mixed feelings about the incident. “This is a horrible tragedy. No one wants an incident like this to happen,” said one local man in his 40s. “This city is not a place where people should be afraid because of their nationality.”
Another Chinese resident echoed these sentiments, noting that Shenzhen has always been a hub for international cooperation, especially in the tech industry, which includes numerous Japanese companies. “I don’t understand why someone would do this. It doesn’t make sense.”
The Shenzhen stabbing bears an eerie resemblance to an attack in June in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, where a knife-wielding man attacked three people, including a Japanese woman and her child. In that incident, a Chinese woman who stepped in to defend the Japanese family lost her life. The Suzhou attack had already raised alarm bells within the Japanese expatriate community, leading the Japanese government to request that Chinese authorities take more decisive steps to prevent future attacks.
Despite these requests, Wednesday’s incident in Shenzhen shows that violence targeting Japanese nationals continues to be a pressing concern. Both incidents underscore a troubling pattern that could potentially escalate tensions between Japan and China if not addressed adequately by both governments.
As investigations into the motives behind the Shenzhen stabbing continue, the Japanese community in China is left grappling with a complex mixture of grief, fear, and anger. Many expatriates, who had considered China to be a safe place for their families, are now questioning whether they should remain in the country. While diplomatic efforts are underway to ensure the protection of Japanese citizens, it remains to be seen whether those efforts will be enough to restore the community’s sense of security.
“We need answers, and we need them quickly,” one Japanese father said. “Right now, I don’t know if it’s safe to send my children to school. I don’t even know if it’s safe to go outside.”
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of international relations and the human toll that violence can exact on innocent lives. For now, the focus must remain on providing support to the grieving family, ensuring the safety of Japanese nationals, and working towards a peaceful resolution that prevents further violence.
The tragic death of a 10-year-old boy in Shenzhen has not only devastated the Japanese community in China but also underscored the need for stronger protections for expatriates living abroad. While the exact motive behind the attack remains unknown, the incident has reignited concerns about the safety of Japanese nationals in China, particularly in light of recent historical and social tensions. Both governments must now work together to provide transparency, justice, and reassurance to the grieving family and the wider Japanese community, ensuring that such a tragedy does not happen again.
