Officials in Tokyo yesterday said that a Japanese boy who was stabbed near his school in southern China has died.
He was 10.
The officials asked Beijing to provide details of the stabbing and take preventive measures.
Photo: AFP
A suspect is in custody.
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa expressed condolences and said that the attack occurred despite Tokyo’s requests for caution and enhanced safety as China marks a key anniversary of its war with Japan.
The boy was stabbed on Wednesday about 200m from the main gate of the Shenzhen Japanese School, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian (林劍) told a news conference.
The attacker was arrested on the spot and the case was still under investigation, Lin said.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Shenzhen police said that a 44-year-old man surnamed Zhong had been taken into custody in connection with a knifing on a minor.
No motive for the attack was immediately clear.
Kamikawa said that Japan had asked the Chinese ministry for increased security around Japanese schools ahead of the anniversary on Wednesday of the Mukden incident, which China marks as the beginning of Japanese invasion of Manchuria, now northeast China.
An explosion on a Japanese railway in the northern city of Shenyang caused by Japanese soldiers, but blamed on the Chinese, was used as a pretext for the invasion.
“I find it extremely regrettable that the attack occurred despite that,” Kamikawa said.
Japan takes the stabbing attack “extremely seriously” and will renew its request to Beijing to do more to ensure safety of the Japanese citizens, she said.
Such an attack “should never occur in any country,” she added.
Kamikawa said she had also advised Japanese schools in China to review their safety measures and asked Beijing to provide details of the killing and do its utmost to prevent similar attacks on Japanese.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about 1,900 as
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
DEEP-STRIKE CAPABILITY: The scenario simulated a PLA drill that turned into an assault on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, with the launchers providing fire support Taiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities. The scenario simulated an attack on Penghu County, with HIMARS trucks immediately rolling into designated launch areas and firing barrages at the Wangan (望安) and Cimei (七美) islands, simulating the provision of fire support against invading forces. The HIMARS are supposed to “fire and leave,” which would significantly increase personnel and equipment survivability, a military official said. The drill simulated an exercise launched by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern
RSS