Japanese Student Stabbed in China, Adding to Spate of Attacks

A Japanese student was stabbed while on the way to school in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, adding to a string of knife attacks on foreigners in the nation in recent months.

The student at Shenzhen Japanese School was taken to the hospital after the incident on Wednesday and their condition is unknown, Hiroshi Moriya, Japan’s deputy chief cabinet secretary, said at a briefing in Tokyo. The suspect was detained, Moriya added.

The injured student is 10 years old and was attacked near the school, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing. Lin declined to comment on the motive of the attacker, saying the incident was under investigation.

The attack is likely to strain relations between the two countries and add to the worries of Japanese people in China. In June, a Japanese woman and her child were attacked with a knife in the eastern city of Suzhou. A Chinese bus attendant was killed in that incident.

Four US college instructors were also injured in a stabbing in China in June. Beijing had said it was an isolated incident and wouldn’t affect ties with Washington. The series of attacks had sparked reaction on Chinese social media, with some users linking the violence to discontent over the economic downturn.

Japan has asked to be informed of the details of the latest attack and requested that China protect the safety of its nationals and ensure there is no repeat, Moriya said later.

“The Japanese government expects Chinese authorities to do their utmost to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens,” he said.