In the span of ten days, starting from the SUV random crash in Zhuhai on November 11 that resulted in fatalities and injuries, to the school gate attack in Changde, Hunan on the 19th, mainland China has witnessed three large-scale violent incidents causing harm to people, sparking widespread international attention. The Japanese government is closely monitoring the security situation in China and urging its citizens in the country to exercise caution.
Earlier this year, a series of attacks occurred in China, including two targeting Japanese nationals resulting in the death of a Japanese boy and injuries to a Japanese mother and son. Subsequently, there has been a wave of large-scale attacks in China. On Tuesday, a man drove an off-road vehicle into students outside a primary school in Changde, Hunan.
The incidents include a driver ramming into a crowd at a sports center in Zhuhai on November 11, resulting in 35 deaths and 43 injuries; on November 16, a former student carried out an attack at a vocational college in Wuxi, causing 8 deaths and 17 injuries.
As of now, there are no signs indicating that Japanese citizens were the targets of this week’s and last week’s attacks. However, the Japanese government has cautioned its citizens in China to speak Japanese discreetly in public places and avoid going out at night.
On Tuesday, November 19, a spectator wearing a T-shirt with patriotic slogans rushed onto the field, briefly disrupting the China-Japan World Cup football qualifier being held in Xiamen.
A video released online by China’s Phoenix TV showed that about 30 minutes into the game, a man ran onto the field, approaching the Japanese goalkeeper. A photo captured by Phoenix TV displayed the man’s bare back with the handwritten Chinese characters “National Team Rise” slogan.
Videos on Weibo showed that outside the stadium, dozens of Chinese fans clad in red jerseys surrounded and shouted at a Japanese fan in a blue jersey, who was escorted towards the stadium by security guards.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stated during a regular press briefing on Tuesday that Japan will “continue to monitor China’s security situation and make every effort to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens.”
On Tuesday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated in its regular press briefing the assurance of “ensuring the safety of all foreigners” in China.