Murder of a boy in China triggers fears in Japan

The murder of a Japanese student in the Chinese city of Shenzhen has caused great concern among Japanese living in China, and major companies are warning their employees to be vigilant.

Toshiba and Toyota have asked their employees to take precautions against possible violence, while Panasonic is offering its employees free flights home.

Japanese authorities have reiterated their condemnation of the murder while calling on the Chinese government to ensure the safety of its citizens.

The Stabbing of 10-year-old boy Wednesday was the third high-profile attack on foreigners in China in recent months.

In a statement to the BBC, electronics giant Panasonic said it would “give the safety and health of its employees in mainland China the highest priority” following the latest attack.

Panasonic allows its employees and their families to temporarily return to Japan at company expense and also offers a consulting service.

Toshiba, which employs around 100 people in China, urged its workers to “pay attention to their safety.”

Meanwhile, the world's largest car manufacturer Toyota told the BBC that it was “supporting Japanese living abroad” by providing them with all the necessary information about the situation.

The Japanese ambassador in Beijing also called on the Chinese government to do “its utmost” to ensure the safety of its citizens.

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday called the attack “extremely despicable” and said Tokyo had “strongly urged” Beijing to issue an explanation “as soon as possible.”

Some Japanese schools in China have contacted parents following the stabbing and put them on high alert.

The Guangzhou Japanese School has cancelled some activities and warned against speaking Japanese loudly in public.

Some members of the Japanese expatriate community living in China told the BBC they were concerned about the safety of their children.

One man, a 53-year-old businessman who has lived in Shenzhen for nearly a decade, said he would send his daughter back to study abroad earlier than usual.

“We have always considered Shenzhen a safe place to live because it is relatively open to foreigners, but now we are all more cautious about our safety,” he said.

“Many Japanese people are deeply concerned and numerous relatives and friends have reached out to inquire about my safety.”

Chinese officials in Shenzhen expressed their “deep sadness” over the incident and said they began installing surveillance cameras near the school on Thursday morning.

“We will continue to take effective measures to protect the lives, property, safety and legal rights of all people in Shenzhen, including foreigners,” they were quoted as saying in the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily on Friday.

An editorial in the state-run newspaper sharply attacked the alleged murderer, saying “this violent behavior does not reflect the quality of the ordinary Chinese people.”

On Friday, locals began laying flowers at the gate of the Japanese school in Shenzhen.

“It's really sad. It shouldn't be like this,” a Shenzhen resident told Singaporean news channel The Straits Times.

Another, a retired teacher, said: “This child, no matter what country he comes from, is the hope of a family and a nation.”

Shenzhen is still shocked by the murder, but more details have now emerged from various news reports and official sources.

The incident occurred around 8:00 a.m. local time (00:00 GMT) on Wednesday in front of the boy's school, the Shenzhen Japanese School.

The boy, whose name was given only as Shen by Chinese police, was stabbed in the stomach and later died of his injuries in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The attacker, a 44-year-old man surnamed Zhong, was arrested on the spot.

He had a previous criminal record: He had been arrested in 2015 for “damaging public infrastructure” and in 2019 for “disturbing public order,” state-controlled media in Shenzhen reported.

An eyewitness said the suspect made no attempt to hide his face during the attack.

“He did not run away, but just stood there and was arrested by the local police guarding the school,” the witness told Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Chinese authorities have not disclosed the exact motive, but have repeatedly described the stabbing as an “isolated incident,” as they have done in two previous incidents this year.

In June, a man attacked a Japanese mother and her child in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou. This attack also occurred near a Japanese school and led to the death of a Chinese citizen who had tried to protect mother and son.

This prompted the Japanese government to request about $2.5 million (£1.9 million) to employ school bus security guards in China.

Beginning of June four American teachers were stabbed to death in the northern city of Jilin.

Attention now turns to Chinese authorities and how they can reassure Japanese communities that they are safe in China without sparking a major diplomatic crisis.

Relations between the two countries have long been fraught with tension. For decades, the two sides have been at loggerheads over a range of issues ranging from historical grievances to territorial disputes.

Some have pointed out that the stabbing occurred on the anniversary of the infamous Mukden Incident, when Japan faked an explosion to justify its invasion of Manchuria in 1931, sparking a 14-year war with China.

A former Japanese diplomat said Wednesday's attack in Shenzhen was the “result of years of anti-Japanese education” in Chinese schools.

Even though diplomatic relations are often tense, there has always been stable economic cooperation in parallel, Japanese diplomats told the BBC.

But the fact that the attack took place in the cosmopolitan technology center of Shenzhen is likely to make both sides nervous.

Leading Japanese companies in China are warning their employees that their presence there could raise questions and what consequences this could have for economic relations between Tokyo and Beijing.

Additional reporting by Chika Nakayama in Tokyo and Kelly Ng in Singapore.