Japan Foreign Minister Kamikawa Demands Facts on Shenzhen Stabbing in Meeting with Chinese Counterpart; Also Wants Halt to Malicious Social Media Posts

By Ayaka Kudo / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

15:23 JST, September 24, 2024

NEW YORK — Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New York on Monday, demanded that China divulge details on last week’s fatal stabbing of a schoolboy in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, and take measures to prevent a recurrence.

The 10-year-old boy was stubbed by a Chinese man on his way to a Japanese school on Sept. 18 and died the following day in the hospital.

Kamikawa called on China to quickly clarify the facts of the incident and provide Japan with a clear explanation, and to severely punish the perpetrator and implement measures to prevent a recurrence.

She also demanded that concrete steps be taken to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals residing in China, and that the Chinese government immediately crack down on baseless, malicious and anti-Japanese posts on social media.

Wang responded that the stabbing was an “an isolated incident that occurred by chance” and would be “handled in accordance with the law.”

The two confirmed that their discussions would continue on the matter through diplomatic channels.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang made a request to Kamikawa, saying, “Japan should handle the incident calmly and rationally, and avoid politicizing or amplifying it.”

The two also exchanged views on the resumption of imports of Japanese seafood, which was agreed upon between Tokyo and Beijing amid Japan’s discharge into the ocean of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

“We will soon be implementing additional monitoring, and present evidence of tangible progress with an eye on the complete lifting of restrictions,” Kamikawa said,

Among other issues that came up, Kamikawa expressed “serious concern” about the violation of Japanese airspace by Chinese military aircraft in August.

She also called for an immediate release of Japanese nationals detained by Chinese authorities and the removal of  a buoy set up by China within Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea.