Death penalty for Chinese knife attackers, the mother and child stabbed

Death penalty for Chinese knife attackers, the mother and child stabbed

A Chinese man who in June 2023 in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou a Knife attack committed to a Japanese woman and her child, who tried to protect them to death. This was confirmed by a Japanese government representative.

Details on the case

A court in Suzhou found that the 52-year-old unemployed man with surname Zhou had committed the attacks because he had accumulated debts and lost interest in life. The Japanese cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Thursday that the Japanese consul in Shanghai was present at the verdict, but further details on the verdict were not published immediately.

Japan's reaction to the judgment

"The Japanese government looks at killing and wounding three people, including a completely innocent child, as unforgivable and takes the judgment extremely seriously," continues Hayashi. A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, did not want to confirm the judgment and only explained that "the Chinese judicial authorities will treat the case according to the laws".

background of the attacks

The knife attack was one of two incidents in the past year who had concerns about anti-Japan feelings in China and caused Tokyo to ask Jinging to ensure the security of its citizens. Knife attacks are not unusual in China because firearms are heavily regulated.

In the past few months there have been several sudden outbreaks that were directed against uninvolved citizens, also near hospitals and schools. The attack occurred on June 24, when the Japanese mother picked up her child at a bus stop near a Japanese school. During the attack, the mother and the child did not suffer life -threatening injuries, but a Chinese bus attendant died who tried to stop the attacker later.

prejudices and national tensions

Hayashi renewed the requests to the Chinese government to protect Japanese citizens in China. However, Japan did not mention the judgment of the Suzhou Court. Nationalism, xenophobia and anti-Japan feelings have increased in the country, often fueled by the state media and discussions on China's strongly censored social media.

This mood is deeply rooted in the bitter memories of the Japanese invasion and the brutal occupation in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as today's territorial disputes. In September last year, a 10-year-old Japanese school junge at another knife South Chinese city of Shenzhen. The process in this case should begin on Friday, reported the Japanese radio NHK.