A 10-year-old Japanese boy who was attending a Japanese school in southern China has sadly passed away. He was stabbed by a 44-year-old man in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province on Wednesday morning. Tragically, Japan’s consul-general in Guangzhou, Yoshiko Kijima, announced his death on Thursday, stating: “The boy was attacked by a man on his way to school yesterday, the 18th, and was receiving treatment at the hospital. He was a student at a Japanese school, but he passed away early on the 19th. This is very sad. I cannot express in words how I feel for his family.”
Suspect Arrested at the Scene
According to the Japanese embassy in Beijing, the boy was on his way to school with his mother. The attack reportedly took place around 200 meters from the school, which has decided to close for the week. Police were on guard nearby and quickly subdued the suspect. He was taken in for questioning, but his motive remains unknown. The stabbing occurred on the 93rd anniversary of the Japanese bombing of a railroad track near Shenyang. Referred to as the 918 Incident, it led to the start of Japan’s invasion of north-east China in 1931.
Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi told reporters, “We repeated our call on the Chinese side to guard Japanese residents.” Three months ago, a Japanese woman and her child were attacked with a knife in the city of Suzhou. Hu Youping, a school bus attendant, saw the man at a bus stop and “immediately rushed” to stop him. She was then stabbed several times and sadly succumbed to her injuries two days later. The Japanese mother and son were hurt, but their injuries were not life-threatening.
