SHENZHEN, China -- A 10-year-old Japanese boy stabbed by a man while on his way to school in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen died of his wounds early Thursday morning, the Japanese government said, sparking fears the incident will worsen already strained Sino-Japanese ties.
The boy was attacked near a Japanese school Wednesday morning and had been receiving treatment at a hospital. The suspect, 44, was apprehended by police stationed near the educational facility.
The child was stabbed in the abdomen, according to Yoshiko Kijima, Japan's consul general in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province which also includes Shenzhen. It remains unclear whether the attacker intentionally targeted a Japanese national.
Eyewitnesses said the boy was bleeding from the stab wounds and was given a heart massage at the scene. The child's mother was with him at the time of the attack.
The stabbing followed a knife attack in Suzhou near Shanghai in June in which a Japanese mother and child were injured. A Chinese woman died while attempting to stop the assailant.
Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a Tokyo press conference, "We are deeply saddened" by the death of the boy, adding Japan has been and will continue to "strongly urge" China to share information related to the attack and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in China.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa also told reporters that it is regrettable that the "despicable" act was committed against a schoolboy.
Kamikawa said Tokyo demanded Beijing "make every possible effort" to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals. She also instructed Japanese officials to craft measures to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
Given Wednesday marked the 93rd anniversary of a Japanese bombing of a railroad track near Shenyang, Japan had asked the Chinese Foreign Ministry last week to take thorough safety measures for Japanese schools, according to Kamikawa.
The 1931 bombing was the start of the Manchurian Incident that led to Japan's invasion and occupation of northeastern China until the end of World War II.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday the case is "under investigation" and vowed China will "continue to take effective measures to protect the safety of all foreigners" in the country.
The residence of Japanese Ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, flew a Japanese national flag at half-mast Thursday to mourn the boy, with the envoy heading to Shenzhen.
Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao on Wednesday and conveyed "serious concerns" over the attack.
According to Kijima, the Shenzhen municipal government expressed regret over the incident and said the boy received first-rate medical care in the city where some 3,600 Japanese nationals reside.
The stabbing sent shockwaves through the Japanese community in China. A Japanese businessman who lives in Guangdong Province with his family said, "We should be vigilant and take measures such as avoiding being heard speaking Japanese outdoors."
A Chinese man in his 60s who accompanied his granddaughter to a kindergarten near the Japanese school in Shenzhen said he was surprised to learn of the fatal stabbing and it was "really regrettable." The man said he believes the suspect "cannot make a rational judgment."
Another Chinese man in his 60s, a Guangzhou resident, said the incident was "unforgivable," adding, "I'm worried about the possible negative impact on Sino-Japanese relations going forward."
Ties between the two Asian neighbors have deteriorated over issues such as China's detention of Japanese nationals over espionage allegations and Beijing's total import ban on Japanese seafood, imposed after the country began releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in August last year.
It is feared that the series of attacks on Japanese nationals may further hinder bilateral exchanges and Japanese investment in China.
The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China said in a statement Thursday it has directly asked Kanasugi to take measures to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and that the entity will continue to urge both the Japanese and Chinese governments to pursue the truth about the incident.
