Chinese Man Sentenced to Death for Stabbing Japanese Woman and Child

Beijing: A Chinese court has sentenced a man to death for a knife attack that injured a Japanese woman and her child, and resulted in the death of a bus attendant who intervened. The incident, which occurred in June last year, was confirmed by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, as reported by CNN.

The Suzhou court handed down the death sentence to the 52-year-old unemployed man, identified by his surname Zhou, after he reportedly carried out the attack due to financial troubles and a loss of will to live, according to Hayashi.

While Chinese authorities have not yet officially released details of the ruling, Japan’s Consul General in Shanghai was present during the sentencing. “The Japanese government considers this act of violence, which included the attack on an innocent child, to be completely unacceptable, and we take the verdict very seriously,” Hayashi stated.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning refrained from directly confirming the sentencing but assured that judicial authorities in China would handle the case in accordance with the law.

The stabbing incident took place on June 24 when the Japanese mother was picking up her child at a bus stop near a Japanese school in Suzhou. Although the mother and child sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the bus attendant who tried to intervene tragically succumbed to her wounds.

This attack was the first of two violent incidents targeting Japanese nationals in China last year, heightening concerns about rising anti-Japanese sentiment. In response, Tokyo urged Beijing to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens residing in China.

Knife attacks are relatively common in China due to strict gun control laws, and recent years have seen a rise in violent incidents targeting random individuals in public spaces, including hospitals and schools.

Hayashi reiterated Japan’s call for stronger protective measures for its nationals and highlighted that the court ruling did not make any direct references to Japan.

According to reports, rising nationalism and xenophobia in China, often amplified by state media and social media platforms, have contributed to an increasingly tense environment for foreign nationals.

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