On the evening of September 19th, in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the Chinese community in Japan held a vigil for the 10-year-old Japanese boy who was murdered in Shenzhen. During the two-hour event, attendees expressed their condolences for the victim and voiced concerns over the rising anti-Japanese sentiments in China in recent years, as well as the increasing frequency of indiscriminate killings. The discussion revolved around how to change this current situation.
The tragic incident occurred on September 18th when a Japanese boy attending a school in Shenzhen was stabbed by a 44-year-old Chinese man on his way to school. Despite efforts to save him, the boy passed away early the next morning. The incident shocked Japanese society and became a focal point of attention for the Chinese community in Japan. Many speakers at the vigil attributed the cause of the incident to the hate-filled education promoted by the Chinese Communist Party over the past two decades.
One of the event organizers, a Chinese scholar teaching at a university in Japan, described his feelings as a mix of sadness, regret, and anger. He questioned who should take responsibility for the tragedy and pointed out the effects of the Chinese Communist Party’s long-standing nationalist education, which has instilled a distorted view of history and a lack of understanding about the real Japan among many people.
Human rights lawyer Wu Lei, who resides in Japan, expressed deep remorse on behalf of the Chinese attendees, emphasizing that condemnation alone is not enough. He highlighted that the incident is not an isolated case, as China is facing issues in its economy and a rise in indiscriminate acts of violence, stressing the importance of rule of law and basic justice in a society.
Jia Jia, a visiting researcher at the University of Tokyo and writer, warned against the dangerous trend of extreme nationalism and anti-Japanese sentiments in China. He noted that over the past two decades, Chinese nationalism has transformed from mere rhetoric to blatant violence, emphasizing the grave consequences of perpetuating historical hatred.
The day the incident occurred coincided with the 93rd anniversary of the “September 18 Incident” in China. Jia Jia mentioned that in mainland China, the narrative of the eight-year-long War of Resistance Against Japan has been extended to fourteen years, with the starting point being pushed back from the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937 to the September 18 Incident in 1931, making September 18th a significant date.
According to Japanese media reports, four days before the incident, the Japanese government had requested heightened security measures for Japanese schools in China, but failed to prevent the tragedy.
One participant at the vigil viewed “nationalism” as a tool of control by the Chinese Communist Party, suggesting that it only serves to temporarily quell anti-Japanese and anti-American sentiments without addressing the underlying issues.
A female entrepreneur who has been in Japan for ten years shared that they must not only express their sorrow and anger but also reflect on the root causes. She emphasized the impact of the skewed historical education they received, leading to twisted views and called for an end to the CCP’s rule to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Some Japanese attendees also joined the gathering, with one expressing that many Chinese people actually have a positive view of Japan, but are silenced by the Chinese government’s need for a common enemy to control public opinion, exploiting anti-Japanese sentiments for their own agenda.
Many Japanese netizens commented online, stating that those Chinese individuals with a conscience are welcome everywhere, but those filled with hatred are problematic regardless of their nationality. They emphasized the need to hold the Chinese Communist Party and Xi Jinping accountable for promoting anti-Japanese education and deflecting blame onto innocent individuals.
On September 19th, Princeton University and University of California literature professor Lin Peirui visited Japan and spoke at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan. He asserted that the incident was not about a conflict between Japanese and Chinese people but rather the Chinese government’s manipulation of its citizens’ emotions and ideologies to exert social control. He called for unity among all Chinese, Japanese, and American individuals to stand up against the CCP regime.