On September 18th, a student from the Shenzhen Japanese School was attacked by a man named Zhong with a knife on his way to school and sadly passed away in the early hours of September 19th as the rescue efforts were in vain. This news caused shock in the local Japanese community and became a theme of reporting in major Japanese newspapers. The latest development in the case is that some information about the suspect, Zhong, has been exposed, and he has confessed to the act of injuring the student with a knife and has been taken into custody.
The incident occurred at 7:55 am on September 18th when a 10-year-old student from the Shenzhen Japanese School was walking to school with his family and was attacked by the suspect, Zhong, with a knife. The student was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment but sadly succumbed to his injuries at 1:36 am on September 19th.
The unfortunate boy who passed away was of Japanese nationality, and his parents are Japanese and Chinese citizens respectively.
According to a report on September 20th by the Southern Metropolis Daily, Zhong was captured on the spot after the incident.
Zhong, aged 44, of Han ethnicity, has no fixed occupation. He was put on bail in 2015 for allegedly damaging public telecommunications facilities and detained administratively in 2019 for disrupting public order by fabricating facts. Zhong has admitted to the act of injuring the student with a knife and acted alone. He was criminally detained on September 18th.
The Shenzhen Japanese School for children of foreign nationals is initiated by Fujifilm Manufacturing (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., funded by member companies of the Shenzhen Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and established as a non-profit full-time school for children of foreign nationals approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education. The students are children of suitable age with Japanese nationality residing in Shenzhen and surrounding areas.
On the evening of the 19th, some Shenzhen residents spontaneously went to the scene of the incident to offer flowers and condolences. Some expressed strong anger and condemnation towards the violent act, stating that the perpetrator was despicable beyond tolerance.
One commenter wrote, “Regardless of the child’s nationality, since he lived and studied in Shenzhen, he is a child of Shenzhen.” Some residents who offered flowers said they would lend a helping hand if the family needed it, “because we all live together in Shenzhen.”
This case has also sparked strong condemnation on social media.
“Liuhao Lin Andy” said: Anyone who lifts a butcher’s knife against innocent women, children, and children is a coward! A demon! Unforgivable!
“Guardian from afar” commented: While the suspect committed the child’s harm, he also sealed his own fate. The child is innocent.
According to Radio France International, the attack on the boy from the Shenzhen Japanese School has caused a stir in the local Japanese community. Kyodo News Agency said that due to a series of stabbing incidents involving Japanese nationals, this will inevitably affect the exchanges between Japan and China and Japanese corporate investments. The trend of alienating China (CCP) may spread in Japan.
A woman living near the scene of the incident said, “I heard screams,” possibly coming from the attacked boy’s mother. When she went outside, she saw a gathering of people who had rushed to the scene. There were bloodstains on the sidewalk, indicating the intensity of the attack. She angrily remarked, “Attacking a child is unforgivable.”
Less than three months ago, the Suzhou case where a Japanese mother and son were injured by an assailant has raised concerns among families sending their children to Japanese schools. Several families of Japanese corporate personnel stationed at the Suzhou Japanese School have either sent their family members back to their home country or transferred their children to Japanese schools in Shanghai.
After the news of the stabbing incident in Shenzhen was reported, a mother whose son attends the Beijing Japanese School urgently called for immediate measures to protect children. She complained that the school’s response was too slow.