Tokyo has asked Beijing to ensure its citizens’ safety after a stabbing in a Shanghai restaurant in which two Japanese nationals were injured, Japan’s consulate in Shanghai said yesterday.
It is the latest diplomatic point of friction as the two countries are embroiled in a standoff triggered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that if China invaded Taiwan, it would pose an existential threat to Japan, potentially triggering a military response.
China said the incident was “an isolated public security case.”
Photo: Bloomberg
Pudong District police on Tuesday wrote on social media that they had received a report that a man “was injuring people with a fruit knife in a restaurant.”
Police said the suspect, a 59-year-old surnamed Yang (楊) who was detained at the scene, had a history of mental illness.
Three people were taken to a hospital, the statement said, with Japanese media later reporting two were Japanese.
Asked about the reports, the Japanese consulate in Shanghai confirmed that two Japanese citizens had been hurt, adding that they were receiving medical treatment.
“The Government of Japan has requested the Chinese government to ... clarify the facts and provide a clear explanation ... [and] ensure the safety and security of Japanese nationals,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara later confirmed Tokyo’s request, adding that a consular alert had been sent to all Japanese residents in China.
“The government will continue, while maintaining contact with the parties concerned, to provide all possible support from the standpoint of protecting Japanese nationals,” he said.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that the third person injured was Chinese.
“This incident is an isolated public security case, and the competent Chinese authorities will handle it in accordance with the law,” spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) told a regular news briefing.
The restaurant reported to be the site of the attack, based on the police statement, appeared calm yesterday.
Several people in gray suits who appeared to be security were standing guard in the mall where the restaurant is located.
Police said that when Yang was detained, he had been “speaking incoherently and behaving erratically.”
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