Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announced on Monday that she will meet her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during her visit to New York to discuss the recent fatal stabbing of a Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen, China. The tragic incident, which occurred last week, has prompted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to call for an explanation and urge China to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens, especially children.
Kamikawa, speaking at Tokyo’s airport ahead of her trip to the United Nations General Assembly, expressed deep concern over the attack. “The recent incident in Shenzhen, where a Japanese schoolchild was killed, is extremely tragic. We will strongly urge China to clarify the facts and take measures to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens,” she stated, according to Japan’s foreign ministry. In response, Japan is allocating 43 million yen ($300,000) to enhance security at Japanese schools in China immediately.
Meanwhile, Japan’s vice foreign minister traveled to Beijing on Monday to address the issue directly with Chinese officials. China’s foreign ministry had earlier expressed “regret and sadness” over what it described as an isolated incident, emphasizing that such occurrences can happen in any country.
Reports indicate that the victim was a 10-year-old Japanese national. Chinese police have detained a 44-year-old man as the prime suspect. Although it is unclear if the attack was politically motivated, it took place on September 18, a historically sensitive date marking the 1931 “Mukden incident,” often remembered in China as a day of national humiliation.
This tragic event follows another knife attack in June in Suzhou, where a Japanese mother and child were injured. Relations between Japan and China remain tense, with ongoing territorial disputes and Japan’s strengthening security ties with the US. However, Beijing recently announced it would gradually resume importing Japanese seafood after suspending imports last year over concerns related to the Fukushima nuclear plant’s water release.
