2024 Shenzhen knife attack
| 2024 Shenzhen knife attack | |
|---|---|
 The gates of the Shenzhen Japanese School | |
 | |
| Location | Shenzhen, Guangdong, China |
| Date | 18 September 2024 (UTC+08:00) |
Attack type | Stabbing attack |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Motive | Unknown |
On 18 September 2024, a Chinese man stabbed a ten-year-old Japanese schoolboy with a knife near the Shenzhen Japanese School in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The attacker, a 44-year old man surnamed Zhong, was arrested, while the boy died of injuries on the next day. This was the third attack targeting foreigners in China in 2024, after the Jilin knife attack and the Suzhou knife attack.
Context
[edit]There are many Japanese companies in Shenzhen, a center of high technology in China. In 2008, the Shenzhen Japanese School was opened for elementary and junior high school students. According to The Asahi Shimbun, Japanese parents and children often walk to school together as many of them live nearby.[1]
Two attacks against foreigners had happened in China earlier in 2024. In June, a man stabbed four American teachers in Jilin City. In a separate incident that month, another man attacked a Japanese mother and her son in Suzhou, resulting in the death of a Chinese woman.[2] After the Suzhou attack, Chinese internet companies curbed extreme content on Chinese internet.[1]
18 September is also the date of the Mukden incident, a 1931 Japanese military operation that led to its invasion of Manchuria and the Second Sino-Japanese War.[3][2]
Attack
[edit]About 8 am on Wednesday, 18 September 2024,[4] a man stabbed a Japanese boy in the abdomen on his way to the Shenzhen Japanese School.[5] The attack happened on a street 200 meters away from the school.[3] The assailant, a 44-year old man with surname Zhong, was immediately arrested.[2] According to China's foreign ministry, the boy was a Japanese national with a Japanese father and a Chinese mother.[2][6] Kyodo News reported that the boy was with his mother at the time of the attack.[3] The boy was taken to hospital under severe injuries[3] and died on 19 September.[1]
Aftermath
[edit]After the attack, Japanese schools across China stepped up precautions. The Shenzhen Japanese School was closed for a week, the Shanghai Japanese School allowed students to stay home.[7] The Japanese School of Guangzhou and the Japanese School of Beijing stopped extracurricular activities on September 18, and reminded students and parents to reduce unnecessary outings and not to speak Japanese loudly outside.[8] The Japanese Embassy in China sent a safety notice to all Japanese in China.[9]
On the day that the attack occured, Masataka Okano, Vice Foreign Minister of Japan, summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao.[3] Kenji Kanasugi, Japanese Ambassador to China, called on the Chinese administration to protect Japanese residents.[3] Lin Jian, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pledged to continue to "take effective measures to protect the safety of all foreigners".[3]
A day after the attack, the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida condemned the crime and "strongly demand[ed]" an explanation from the Chinese side.[6] The Chinese spokesperson Lin Jian said that the Chinese side would provide "necessary assistance" to the boy's family, but also called the incident "an individual case" that could happen "in any country".[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Yohei Kobayakawa; Ryo Inoue (19 September 2024). "Japanese boy in China dies after knife attack; expats shaken". The Asahi Shimbun.
- ^ a b c d Nick Marsh (19 September 2024). "Ten-year-old Japanese boy dies after stabbing in China". BBC.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Japanese pupil stabbed by man near school in China's Shenzhen". Kyodo News. 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Student injured in knife attack near Japanese school in south China". Reuters. 18 September 2024.
- ^ "中国 日本人学校の男子児童死亡 駐在員の一時帰国認める企業も" [Chinese boy dies at Japanese school; some companies allow expatriates to return home temporarily]. NHK (in Japanese). 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ a b Nectar Gan; Junko Ogura (19 September 2024). "Japan's leader demands answers from China over schoolboy's fatal stabbing". CNN.
- ^ 「本当に衝撃」中国・深センで刺された日本人学校の男児(10)が死亡 日本領事館は捜査状況など情報共有を求める ["A real shock" A 10-year-old boy from a Japanese school was stabbed to death in Shenzhen, China. The Japanese Consulate has requested information sharing on the status of the investigation.]. TBS NEWS DIG (in Japanese). 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "深圳日童遇袭︱日政府将讨论确保安全措施 校方：公众地方勿大声说日语" [Japanese children were attacked in Shenzhen︱Japanese government will discuss measures to ensure safety. School administrators: Do not speak Japanese loudly in public places]. std.stheadline.com (in Chinese). 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "中国 広東省 日本人学校に通う男子児童1人が男に襲われけが" [Boy attending Japanese school in Guangdong Province, China was attacked and injured by a man.]. NHK (in Japanese). 18 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ David Kirton; Mei Mei Chu; Kiyoshi Takenaka. "10-year-old Japanese schoolboy in China dies after stabbing". Reuters.