Shenzhen stabbing: boy’s death sparks anger in Japan over China’s ‘anti-Japanese’ education

The fatal stabbing of a 10-year-old Japanese boy in the Chinese city of Shenzhen has ignited a wave of anger in Japan, with critics accusing Beijing of fostering anti-Japanese sentiment through its education system and state-controlled media.

The boy was attacked on Wednesday while on his way to school, marking the second knife assault against a Japanese child in China in less than three months.

Japanese editorials, analysts, and online commentators are placing the blame squarely on the Chinese government, alleging that its policies have contributed to rising xenophobia and violence targeting Japanese nationals.

“Under Xi Jinping, education that is aggressively anti-Japanese has become far more common and strong,” said Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor of politics and international relations at Waseda University.

“Under previous Chinese leaders, that was not always the case,” he told This Week in Asia. “Xi is using this criticism of Japan to build up his own support at a time when the Chinese economy is experiencing some problems, with the policy of ‘love the nation’ designed to protect his own power.”