18 Sep 2024 | 07:31 AM UTC
China: Japanese national attacked in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Sept. 18
Japanese national attacked in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, Sept. 18; motive for the attack remains unclear.
Local authorities are investigating an attack on a Japanese student in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Sept. 18. Reports indicate that the victim was on the way to Shenzhen Japanese School at around 08:00 when an unknown perpetrator stabbed him. The student received immediate medical attention and is currently hospitalized. Authorities temporarily closed the school as a precaution and have detained the assailant.
Although officials have not confirmed if the suspect intentionally targeted a Japanese national, the attack occurred on the anniversary of the 918 incident, which many Chinese view as the start of Japan’s invasion of China in 1931. It remains unclear if the timing of the attack was related to the anniversary or an isolated incident. In June, the Japanese Embassy in China issued an advisory for its citizens following an attack on a bus used by a Japanese school in Suzhou; a male perpetrator injured a Japanese woman and her child while seriously wounding a Chinese woman who tried to intervene. Although the overall crime threat in China remains low and violent crime is relatively uncommon, isolated criminal incidents affecting foreigners cannot be ruled out.
