Japan sends official ‘to deal with’ fatal stabbing of Shenzhen schoolboy

Fumio Kishida has demanded an explanation for the attack at Shenzhen Japanese School and urged China to ensure Japanese citizens’ safety

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Shenzhen Japanese School. Japan’s state minister for foreign affairs Yoshifumi Tsuge is visiting China “to deal with the death of a child” at the school, his ministry said. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:22pm, 23 Sep 2024

Japan’s vice foreign minister will discuss the fatal stabbing of a schoolboy with Beijing on Monday, according to Tokyo’s foreign ministry.

From Sunday to Tuesday, Japan’s state minister for foreign affairs Yoshifumi Tsuge will visit Beijing “to deal with the death of a child at Shenzhen Japanese School”, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

After the attack last week in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida demanded an explanation and urged China to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens.

Beijing expressed “regret and sadness” for what it called an isolated incident that “could happen in any country”.

Japan’s foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa is also arranging to meet her Chinese counterpart in New York while they are both visiting the US city, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Bouquets of flowers lay outside Shenzhen Japanese School following the death of the 10-year-old child who was stabbed. Photo: Reuters

Japanese media reported that the boy was a 10-year-old Japanese national living in Shenzhen, while Beijing’s foreign ministry said his parents were Japanese and Chinese citizens.