Unease within Japanese community in China after fatal stabbing of boy

One by one, they laid flowers at the gate of a Japanese school in Shenzhen, which was strikingly quiet even as nearby streets filled with children heading home from class.

- Joyce ZK Lim

A trickle of residents in the southern Chinese tech hub paid tribute to a 10-year-old Japanese schoolboy who died in the early hours of Sept 19, after being stabbed in the street on his way to class a day earlier.

This was the second knife attack involving Japanese nationals in China since June.

Available on SAT SUN & P.H. from 3-5PM "It is really sad. It shouldn't be like that," said a Shenzhen local, who gave his name only as Mr Tang.

Mr Tang, his wife and 12-year-old son, who attends another school nearby, laid a bouquet on the afternoon of Sept 19.

Speaking to reporters in Tokyo on the same day, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa denounced the attack as a "despicable act", adding that Japan has asked the Chinese authorities for an explanation.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, during a visit to Ishikawa prefecture in central Japan, said: "Such an incident must never be repeated. We strongly urged the Chinese side to ensure the safety of Japanese people."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian expressed China's "regret and sadness" over the incident, as well as condolences on the boy's death. He said the case is being investigated, and Beijing and Tokyo were in communication.

Shenzhen police apprehended a 44-year-old man, surnamed Zhong, at the scene of the stabbing about 200m from the Shenzhen Japanese School, which the boy attended. The police have not disclosed the reasons for the attack on the boy, whose surname they said was Shen.

The Japanese national's father is Japanese, and his mother is Chinese, China's Foreign Ministry said on Sept 19.