TOKYO - Japan on Wednesday said it called on China to guarantee the safety of its nationals in the country and to severely punish the suspect in a knife attack in Shanghai that injured two Japanese citizens.
Local authorities have said two Japanese individuals and one Chinese citizen were injured in the attack Tuesday at a Shanghai restaurant, and that they were being treated at a hospital. The attacker, who has a history of mental illness, was apprehended later.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference in Tokyo that Japan's diplomatic mission and its Foreign Ministry called on China to "clarify the facts of the case and give a clear explanation" and "severely punish the suspect."
Mori Building Co. said Wednesday the two Japanese victims are employees of the company.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a press conference that the attack was an "individual public security incident" and relevant Chinese authorities will handle it in accordance with the law.
Asked if the suspect deliberately attacked Japanese nationals, Guo urged media outlets and individuals to refrain from engaging in "groundless hype" and drawing connections.
The case follows the fatal stabbing of a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen, southern China, in September 2024, which shocked the Japanese expatriate community.
Ties between the countries have been strained in recent months following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's parliamentary remarks in November suggesting Japan could deploy its defense forces in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.
