Japanese in China seek safety reinforcements as Beijing downplays attack

Taxis to school, father escorts among ideas; censors halt incendiary chatter on Weibo

Bouquets of flowers are left outside the Shenzhen Japanese school as a tribute to the 10-year-old student stabbed on Sept 18 on the street nearby. He died the following day in the hospital. © Reuters

WATARU SUZUKI and KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei staff writers

September 20, 2024 17:59 JST

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG -- The killing of a 10-year-old Japanese boy in the southeastern Chinese city of Shenzhen this week has sent Japanese communities in the country scrambling for additional security.

On Friday morning, an emergency meeting was convened in Shanghai between the Consulate-General of Japan in Shanghai, the Shanghai Japanese Commerce and Industry Club and Japanese schools in the city. "There is a considerable amount of anxiety spreading among Japanese people," Masaru Okada, the consul general, told reporters after the gathering. He said the Japanese government will provide financial and human resources to bolster safety measures.