The recent stabbing of a Japanese boy in Shenzhen has again raised concerns over growing anti-Japanese sentiment in China.
The 10-year-old boy was attacked by a 44-year-old man, identified as Zhong, near the Shenzhen Japanese School, where the child was enrolled. The boy died the next day from his injuries.
The incident marked the second knife attack on Japanese nationals in under three months. A Japanese woman and her child were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after being attacked by a knife-wielding man.
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Japanese commentators are pointing fingers at the Chinese government, saying Beijing’s frequent focus on historical and modern-day grievances against Japan has fueled such hatred.
Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s Waseda University, told the South China Morning Post newspaper that, under China’s President Xi Jinping, education has become more “aggressively anti-Japanese” than under previous Chinese leaders.
“Xi is using criticism of Japan to bolster his own support at a time when the Chinese economy is struggling, with the policy of ‘love the nation’ designed to safeguard his power,” Shigemura added.
One of the more prominent nationalist displays came from a middle school in Shandong Province, where students reenacted the 2022 assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
He had been a controversial figure in China due to his efforts to strengthen Japan’s military in response to China’s growing regional influence. His visit to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates more than 2.5 million fallen soldiers, including over 1,000 convicted war criminals, angered many in China.
On Chinese social-media platforms such as Bilibili, some users questioned why the boy’s murder was getting so much attention. “I don’t understand why Japanese injuries are causing such a big response online in China,” one user commented.
Another user denied that Chinese are taught anti-Japanese sentiment. They then cited grievances such as Japan’s wartime atrocities in the 1930s and 1940s; the enshrinement of war criminals at Yasukuni Shrine; and the dumping of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
“Behind the uproar, we should reflect on how to prevent this from happening again. If Japan blindly escalates the situation, it will only lead to more tragedy,” another user added.
The murder has also touched off a diplomatic incident. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida labeled the killing “despicable” and demanded that China provide a full explanation.
In a discussion with Japan’s top diplomat, Yoko Kamikawa, in New York on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would handle the investigation according to the law but advised Japan to avoid politicizing the incident.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated Wang’s statement at a press conference, saying that the murder was an isolated incident unrelated to anti-Japanese sentiment.
“Some in Japan are linking this case with so-called anti-Japan comments on Chinese social media, exaggerating and sensationalizing ‘safety risks.’ This rhetoric does not match the facts,” Lin said, though he stated that the investigation was ongoing.
He added that China remains committed to ensuring the safety of foreign nationals and urged Japan not to “politicize or inflate” the incident.
Masashi Mizobuchi, Japanese foreign ministry assistant press secretary, said the suspect in last week’s stabbing is in custody and the details of the incident still under investigation.
“It’s crucial to clarify the motive to prevent similar incidents,” Mizobuchi told Newsweek. “We call on China to provide a clear explanation as soon as possible.”
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies professor Yoshiyuki Ogasawara told Newsweek that, although the incident may have been isolated, the Chinese Communist Party’s persistent anti-Japanese rhetoric could have contributed to an environment that allowed such violence to occur.
The Chinese embassy in Japan did not respond to a request from Newsweek for comment.
A 2023 opinion poll conducted by Japanese think tank Genron NPO found that a majority in both countries harbored negative views of each other.
Among Japanese respondents, 92.2 percent had an unfavorable opinion of China, up from 87.3 percent in 2022. On the Chinese side, 62.9 percent viewed Japan negatively, about the same as the previous year.
The most common reason cited by Japanese respondents was anti-Japanese reporting in Chinese media, selected by 40.7 percent, a significant increase from 21.9 percent in 2022.
Among Chinese respondents, 37.3 percent pointed to Japan’s reluctance to support Beijing’s “One China” principle concerning Taiwan. The second most common reason, cited by 27.6 percent, was Japan’s alignment with U.S.