Japanese Foreign Ministry stated that Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New York to negotiate on issues such as the murder of a Japanese boy in China.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announced on Monday, September 23, that she will hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the United Nations General Assembly held in New York this week.
Regarding the incident where a Japanese boy was fatally stabbed in China, Kamikawa told reporters before departing from Haneda Airport that she will “strongly demand China to explain the situation and ensure the safety of Japanese expatriates.”
Kamikawa expressed that in order to enhance the security system at Japanese schools in China, an emergency budget of approximately 43 million Japanese yen (equivalent to about 2.1 million Chinese yuan) from the Foreign Ministry will be utilized.
Last Wednesday, a 10-year-old Japanese boy living in Shenzhen was stabbed on his way to school and succumbed to his injuries the following day after unsuccessful resuscitation attempts. A Chinese man involved in the incident was later apprehended by the police.
The boy attended a Japanese school in Shenzhen, with a Japanese father and a Chinese mother.
This incident marks the second attack on Japanese individuals in China in recent months.
In June of this year, a Japanese mother and daughter were attacked by a knife-wielding assailant in Suzhou. They were fortunately saved by Chinese woman Hu Youping, who intervened, but tragically, Hu Youping sustained severe injuries during the confrontation with the suspect and passed away in the hospital a few days later.
Following the series of attacks on Japanese individuals, some Japanese companies in China have suggested repatriating their employees and family members.
In recent years, tensions have been mounting between China and Japan. Frictions over the handling of radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant have exacerbated the strained relations between the two countries.
While Chinese authorities have recently agreed to resume the import of Japanese seafood products, the condition is that a third party, including China, must participate in monitoring the treated radioactive wastewater discharged into the ocean from Fukushima.
Kamikawa stated that during the meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister, further discussions will be conducted on lifting China’s ban on the import of Japanese seafood products.
She mentioned that the talks will aim to “deepen discussions on the consensus reached by Japan and China on this issue and promote the lifting of import restrictions.”
During her visit to the US, Kamikawa will also attend the Group of Seven (G7) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and plans to participate in a trilateral meeting among Japan, the US, and South Korea.
(This article references reports from Reuters, Nikkei News, and Kyodo News)