Knife attack in Shenzhen: Boy's death sparks anger in Japan over China's 'anti-Japanese' education system

The fatal knife attack on a ten-year-old Japanese boy in the Chinese city of Shenzhen has sparked a wave of outrage in Japan. Critics accuse Beijing of stirring up anti-Japanese sentiment through its education system and state-controlled media.

The boy was attacked on his way to school on Wednesday. This is the second knife attack on a Japanese child in China in less than three months.

Japanese editorials, analysts and online commentators place the blame squarely on the Chinese government, claiming that its policies have contributed to the increasing xenophobia and violence against Japanese citizens.

“Under Xi Jinping, aggressively anti-Japanese education has become far more common and stronger,” says Toshimitsu Shigemura, professor of politics and international relations at Waseda University.

“This has not always been the case under previous Chinese leaders,” he told This Week in Asia. “Xi is using this criticism of Japan to gain his own support at a time when the Chinese economy is going through some problems. His 'love of the nation' policy is geared towards protecting his own power.”