2024 Shenzhen stabbing

2024 Shenzhen stabbing
The gates of the Shenzhen Japanese School
Location	Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Date	18 September 2024 (UTC+08:00)
Attack type	Stabbing attack
Deaths	1
Motive	Under investigation, possibly Chinese nationalism

On 18 September 2024, a Chinese man stabbed a ten-year-old Japanese schoolboy with a knife near the Shenzhen Japanese School in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The alleged attacker, a 44-year old man surnamed Zhong, was arrested, while the boy died of injuries on the next day. Violence targeting foreigners in China had been occurring previously in 2024 during the Jilin knife attack and the Suzhou knife attack, prompting some observers to express concern that nationalist sentiment may have contributed to these incidents.

Background

There are many Japanese companies in Shenzhen, a center of high technology in China. In 2008, the Shenzhen Japanese School was opened for elementary and junior high school students. According to The Asahi Shimbun, Japanese parents and children often walk to school together as many of them live nearby.

Two attacks against foreigners had happened in China earlier in 2024. In June, a man stabbed four American teachers in Jilin City. In a separate incident that month, another man attacked a Japanese mother and her son in Suzhou, resulting in the death of a Chinese woman. After the Suzhou attack, Chinese internet companies vowed to curb extremist content on the Chinese internet. However, anti-Japanese sentiment has persisted. In recent years, Japanese schools in China have faced growing criticism and suspicion on Chinese social media, with online posts calling for the schools to be shut down, while others accused them of being breeding grounds for spies.

18 September is also the date of the Mukden incident, a 1931 Japanese military operation that was a pretext to its invasion of Manchuria.

Attack

About 8 am on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, a man stabbed a Japanese boy in the abdomen on his way to the Shenzhen Japanese School. The attack happened on a street 200 metres (660 ft) away from the school. A 44-year old male suspect with the surname Zhong was immediately arrested. According to China's foreign ministry, the boy was a Japanese national with a Japanese father and a Chinese mother. Kyodo News reported that the boy was with his mother at the time of the attack. The boy was taken to the Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital (深圳市前海蛇口自贸区医院) with severe injuries and died on the early morning of 19 September.

Aftermath

The suspect Zhong was detained by the Shenzhen Police. Officials determined that the attack was a sporadic incident and was committed by a single person. According to a statement from the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau on September 20, Zhong is a 44-year-old male with no fixed occupation and has a prior criminal record.

After the attack, Japanese schools across China stepped up precautions. The Shenzhen Japanese School was closed for a week, the Shanghai Japanese School allowed students to stay home. The Japanese School of Guangzhou and the Japanese School of Beijing stopped extracurricular activities on 18 September, and reminded students and parents to reduce unnecessary outings and not to speak Japanese loudly outside. The Japanese Embassy in China sent a safety notice to all Japanese in China.

On the day that the attack occured, Masataka Okano, Vice Foreign Minister of Japan, summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao. Kenji Kanasugi, Japanese Ambassador to China, called on the Chinese administration to protect Japanese residents. Lin Jian, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pledged to continue to "take effective measures to protect the safety of all foreigners".

A day after the attack, the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida condemned the crime and "strongly demand[ed]" an explanation from the Chinese side. The Chinese spokesperson Lin Jian said that the Chinese side would provide "necessary assistance" to the boy's family, but also called the incident "an individual case" that could happen "in any country".

According to CNN, certain extreme Chinese nationalists alleged that Japan staged the attack, and some questioned the existence of Japanese schools in China. As the incident gained attention on the Chinese internet, censors removed articles referencing Japanese media sources, which provided more details than the brief statements from China's foreign ministry and the Shenzhen police.

Impacts

The fatal stabbing of a Japanese boy in Shenzhen has sparked worry among Japanese commnuties in China. In response, some Japanese schools in China have contacted parents, advising them to exercise heightened caution. Major Japanese firms operating in China also warned their workers to be vigilant. According to BBC, electronics giant Panasonic would allow employees and their families to temporarily return to Japan at company expense, saying they would "prioritise the safety and health of employees". Similarly, Toyota has pledged to keep its Japanese expatriate staff informed and supported on the situation.

See also

• 2024 Suzhou knife attack