In China this year, there have been a series of “anti-Japanese” and “hateful-Japanese” violent incidents, which are seen as a manifestation of the violent tendency of the “patriotism” promoted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Experts believe that everything is under the control of the CCP, but the CCP will eventually reap what it sows.
The shockwaves caused by the stabbing death of a Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen have not yet subsided. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the CCP’s founding, China has witnessed new “anti-Japanese” and “patriotic” movements, sparking attention and discussion.
On October 1st, a video circulating on social media platform X showed that on September 30th, in a square in Nanning City, a man was distributing free Chinese national flags, but required people to trample on the Japanese flag placed on the ground before receiving it. The video shows that some people at the event responded, including adults, teenagers, and children.
This video sparked discussion among netizens, with some criticizing, “Once patriotism becomes too extreme, it becomes ignorance.” Others said, “Holding onto hatred is preparing for war.”
In response to this phenomenon, former Beijing lawyer and chairman of Canada’s Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, Jianping Lai, stated on September 5th in an interview with Epoch Times that this is the inevitable result of the CCP’s “anti-Japanese” and “love for the Party” education. “The Communist Party wants you not to resist it, but to help it hate the West, hate Japan, and hate their universal values, with the aim of opposing their political system.”
A survey released by Japan’s “Speech NPO” in October 2023 indicated that 62.9% of Chinese people surveyed had a negative impression of Japan; the country considered the most threatening to China was the United States (56.9%), followed by Japan (49.9%).
In a survey of Chinese perceptions of Japan’s political system, 33.1% believed Japan to be “militaristic,” followed by 28.8% believing it to be “capitalist,” and 25.4% considering it “nationalistic.”
Japan’s “Speech NPO” is set to release its latest survey data for this year, given the series of events involving attacks on Japanese individuals in China and incidents like graffiti at the Yasukuni Shrine. It is expected that there will be corresponding changes in Japanese perceptions related to China.
On September 18th, a 10-year-old Japanese boy attending a school in Shenzhen was fatally stabbed by a Chinese man. The incident occurred on the 93rd anniversary of the “September 18 Incident”; on June 24th, a Japanese mother and son waiting at the Tong Yuan Road Xindi Center bus stop in the Suzhou High-Tech Industrial Park for a Suzhou Japanese school bus were attacked by a Chinese man with a knife. While the two were not in life-threatening condition, Chinese school bus staff member, Hu Youping, who tried to intervene, tragically lost her life; and on April 3rd, a Japanese employee in Suzhou was injured in the neck by a Chinese man wielding a knife.
Amid the commemoration of the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II in Japan, there were three “anti-Japanese” activities in Japan. On August 15th, individuals chanted anti-Japan slogans at the Yasukuni Shrine; on the 18th, graffiti insulting Japan was found on a pillar at the Yasukuni Shrine; and on the same day, a Chinese national NHK announcer proclaimed “The Diaoyu Islands belong to China” during a live news program. On May 31st, Chinese internet celebrity “Tie Tou” graffitied “Toilet” in English at the Yasukuni Shrine and appeared to urinate at the site.
The successive attacks on Japanese individuals have caused great shock and concern in Japanese society, public opinion, and the political sphere, all seeking clarification from the CCP government on the motives behind the attacks.
Regarding the two incidents in Suzhou and Shenzhen, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has continuously claimed that they were “isolated incidents” and denied any “anti-Japanese education” in China, indirectly rejecting any connection between the attacks on Japanese individuals and the CCP’s “anti-Japanese education.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had previously described the incident of the Japanese schoolboy being fatally stabbed as “unacceptable” and criticized the Chinese side for not being willing to disclose the motive for the murder. In contrast, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson called for Japan to “calmly and rationally” approach the situation, stating that “such incidents happen in any country.” Ishiba expressed dissatisfaction with this response, saying, “That is not the reality.”
A series of events have shown a tendency towards violent anti-Japanese sentiments among the Chinese populace. Lai Jianping believes that, “In fact, the CCP desires such violent acts.”
“Under the incitement and brainwashing propaganda of the Communist Party, those crowds become inflamed with anger, wanting to kill all Japanese and Westerners. They voluntarily abandon reason and become brainless,” Jianping said. He added that the CCP is afraid that the people will embrace universal Western values, so they depict the United States as Western aggressors and claim Japan invaded us, so “now we must take revenge.”
From March to April 2005, large-scale protests erupted in various parts of China, mainly to protest against Japan’s historical textbooks published by Koushunsha and Japan’s efforts to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The anti-Japanese protests turned violent, with Japanese hotels and facilities being smashed and vandalized, and three Japanese exchange students being attacked and injured.
Japanese scholar Kishiro Sawa stated that the large-scale demonstrations were made possible due to the Chinese government’s participation or tacit approval, making them “officially organized demonstrations”; and the violent actions were ultimately conducted under the control of the CCP.
In August 2012, large-scale protests and demonstrations erupted in various parts of China, protesting against the Japanese government’s purchase of the Diaoyu Islands. As September approached, the anti-Japanese movement rapidly escalated into acts of violence.
According to reports from the Japanese government, during the 2012 anti-Japanese demonstrations, dozens of Japanese business buildings in China were attacked and severely damaged, with many Japanese automobile companies such as Toyota, Honda, and Nissan experiencing significant declines in car sales. Japanese companies suffered losses exceeding $20 million.
Protesters in Xi’an launched an attack on a hotel on September 15th, demanding to “hand over the Japanese persons in the hotel”; in Shanghai, several Japanese individuals were injured by Chinese attackers.
Netizens exclaimed, “It’s so infuriating, hundreds of new Japanese cars were burned again,” and recounted how protestors destroyed two Japanese car dealerships in Qingdao. Accounts from the affected car dealers expressed sorrow, noting that during the incident, they reached out to the police and fire department for help but received no assistance. As a result, all inventory, office spaces, cash, and property inside the dealerships were destroyed. Remaining vehicles and property were set ablaze, with a fire raging for over three hours without any rescue efforts.
The “patriotic violence” not only caused harm to the Japanese but also brought misfortune to the Chinese. In Xi’an, Li Jianli, driving a Japanese Toyota sedan, encountered a procession on his way home and was struck on the head with a U-lock, causing him to lose partial mobility and speech for life. Thus, the car-smashing incident in Xi’an, also known as the “U-lock incident.”
The sister of the perpetrator, Cai Yangping, accused him of smashing cars for which he responded, “This is a patriotic act.” He was later sentenced to ten years in prison but never apologized to the victim in court.
During the anti-Japanese protests in Beijing on September 18th of that year, Han Deqiang, a teacher at Beihang University, slapped an elderly man twice because he opposed shouting “Long live Chairman Mao.” Writer Ye Tan lamented on Weibo, saying, “In the eyes of some people, even reaching a consensus not to hit elderly people is so hard to achieve, they can still be so self-righteous.”
During the 2012 anti-Japanese activities, many unfortunate cases similar to the “U-lock incident” occurred, with many Chinese owners of Japanese cars facing vandalism, arson, and even personal attacks.
This year, there has been a surge of brutal murder incidents in China, evolving into civilians killing officials and officials killing officials. Jianping Lai stated, “This is the backlash against the CCP system. It will ultimately target the Communist Party and its authoritarian regime.”