A 52-year-old unemployed man in eastern China, identified only by his surname Zhou, has been sentenced to death for a knife attack last June that resulted in the death of a bus attendant and injuries to a Japanese woman and her child.
The attack occurred in Suzhou, and the court’s decision was confirmed by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday.
Hayashi revealed that Zhou targeted the three individuals after falling into debt and losing his will to live.
The Japanese Consul General in Shanghai attended the court session, though detailed announcements from Chinese authorities or local media were not immediately available.
Hayashi strongly condemned the incident, saying, “The (Japanese) government considers the killing and wounding of three people, including a completely innocent child, to be unforgivable, and we take the verdict with the utmost seriousness.”
When asked about the case during a daily press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning refrained from confirming the sentencing but stated, “Chinese judicial authorities will handle (the case) in accordance with the law.”
The attack, which took place on June 24 as the Japanese mother was collecting her child near a Japanese school, left the woman and her child with non-life-threatening injuries.
The bus attendant, who intervened to stop Zhou, later succumbed to her wounds.
This incident was one of two knife attacks on Japanese nationals in China last year that heightened concerns over rising anti-Japanese sentiment in the country.
Knife attacks are relatively common in China due to the strict regulation of firearms.
Hayashi reiterated Japan’s calls for Chinese authorities to safeguard Japanese citizens, emphasizing that the Suzhou court’s ruling did not mention Japan.
He noted the growing nationalism and xenophobia in China, often amplified by state media and social media discussions, which have been linked to historical grievances such as Japan’s invasion of China in the 1930s and 1940s.
A second attack involving Japanese nationals occurred in Shenzhen last September, when a 10-year-old Japanese boy was killed near another Japanese school.
That attack coincided with the anniversary of the 1931 “918” incident, a pivotal event in Japan’s invasion of China. The trial for that case was set to begin on Friday, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.
The two violent incidents have alarmed Japanese residents in China, prompting then-Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to demand stronger measures to prevent such occurrences.
“Such an incident must never be repeated,” Kishida stated.
In response, China’s foreign ministry labeled the attacks as “isolated incidents” and assured the public of its commitment to foreign nationals’ safety. “China will continue to take measures to protect the safety of foreign citizens in China,” Mao said.
