Japan PM demands explanation from Beijing over boy’s stabbing at Japanese school in China

Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida demanded an explanation from China after a man stabbed a schoolboy in the second knife attack on Japanese children in China in the past months.

The 10-year-old boy was stabbed by a man, while he was on his way to class on Wednesday, about 200 metres (650 feet) from the gates of the Japanese school in the southern city of Shenzhen, according to China’s foreign ministry.

The child's father is Japanese and his mother is Chinese, however, the 10-year-old is a Japanese national, the ministry stated.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The child was taken to a hospital but he later died of injuries, the authorities said on Thursday.

Japan’s foreign minister, Yoko Kamikawa, described the incident as “despicable”. She said Japan’s government had demanded that Chinese authorities “make every possible effort” to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in China and release a detailed explanation of the stabbing.

A 44-year-old suspect was apprehended at the scene and has been taken into custody, Shenzhen police said in a statement.

Following the deadly incident, the Japanese embassy has warned its nationals living in China to be vigilant and take precautions.

Japan’s vice foreign minister, Masataka Okano, summoned China’s ambassador to Tokyo, Wu Jianghao, to raise “serious concerns” over the attack.

Watch |Second Chinese incursion in Japan in a month

Okano “strongly urged that security be strengthened, including around Japanese schools throughout China”, Japan’s foreign ministry said.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, said the case is under investigation and Beijing would "continue to take effective measures to protect the safety of all foreigners” in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)