Japan's president demands explanation from China for fatal knife attack on Japanese boy

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is demanding an explanation from China about the fatal knife attack on a ten-year-old Japanese boy in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

During his visit to Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan on September 19, Kishida told reporters that it was an extremely despicable crime.

He expressed his deep sadness and his heartfelt condolences.

S/ Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan / More than a day has passed since the crime, so I have just given instructions to demand an explanation (from China) as soon as possible. Such an incident must never happen again.

He said Japan would urge China to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and prevent similar incidents.

The Prime Minister also said that the Japanese government will do everything possible to achieve this goal.

S/ Yokochi Akira, Prime Minister of the Japanese Embassy in China / We would like to observe a minute's silence to express our condolences to the deceased child and his family.

On the same day, the Japanese Embassy in Beijing held an emergency meeting with executives of Japanese companies and principals of Japanese schools.

Embassy officials said at the meeting that Japan's ambassador to China, Kanasugi Kenji, spoke by phone with a senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official.

They said Kanasugi demanded an explanation for the incident and urged China to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals.

They said the Chinese side had stated that the incident was a case involving someone with a criminal record.

The boy was stabbed to death on September 18 as he and his parents were on their way to the Japanese school in Shenzhen.

The fifth-grader was about 200 meters from the school when he was attacked.

Local police have arrested a 44-year-old male suspect, but the motive for his attack was initially unknown.

The Japanese Consulate General in Guangzhou said the boy suffered stab wounds to parts of his body, including his stomach, and died in the early hours of September 19.

While some Chinese online media reported on the incident, the country's state media did not.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry publishes the contents of its daily press conferences on its website.

However, although there were five questions and answers about the September 18 incident, only one question and answer on the topic was displayed on the website.

Homma Tetsuro, head of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, also spoke at the meeting at the Japanese Embassy.

He stressed that ensuring the safety of employees and their families is a fundamental aspect of doing business in China.

He called on the Japanese embassy to immediately provide information about the incident and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in China.

In response to the incident, Panasonic Holdings has decided to temporarily allow expats and their families to return to Japan and has set up a counseling center.

Toshiba, which has subsidiaries in China, urged its overseas companies to be vigilant.

The trading company Itochu, which has offices in the country, is urging its employees there to pay attention to their safety.

Toyota Motor, which operates a joint venture in Shenzhen for electric vehicle research and development, said it would share the information it receives from the Japanese embassy and Japanese schools with expats.

S/ Watanabe Masayo, NNN correspondent / Flowers were brought to the school the boy attended by a delivery service, probably from a long-distance sender.

The Japanese school in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is closed this week.

But people came to lay flowers in front of the gate and pray for their prayers.

About 3,600 Japanese live in Shenzhen, where many Japanese-affiliated companies do business.

On September 19, the school held a meeting with students' parents and guardians to discuss ways to increase safety measures on routes to school.

S/ Tsukamoto Masao, Principal, Shenzhen Japanese School / The boy loved animals and loved life. This is very shocking and I am disappointed that such an incident is happening again.

S/ Kanasugi Kenji, Japanese Ambassador to China / What we want to know is whether Japanese citizens were targeted. We will continue to demand careful explanations from China.

The envoy visited Shenzhen to meet the grieving family.

The day of the attack happened to be the 93rd anniversary of the Mukden Incident, which preceded the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931.

Many Chinese are said to have felt increased bitterness towards Japan on September 18.