Japan summons Chinese Ambassador after attack on Japanese student in Shenzhen
Tokyo, Sep 18 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Japan’s Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Masataka Okano on Wednesday summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conveyed his serious concerns about the attack on a Japanese national in Shenzhen city in the south-central Guangdong province of China. A student at the Shenzhen Japanese School in China was stabbed and injured by a 44-year-old man on Wednesday morning. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately dispatched staff from its Consulate-General in Guangzhou to the site of attack to provide the necessary support. “Vice-Minister Okano called for appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence, and strongly urged that security be strengthened around Japanese schools throughout China and that every effort be made to ensure the safety of Japanese people. Ambassador Wu responded that it was heartbreaking that such an incident occurred, and that he would work to strengthen the safety of Japanese people and other foreigners in the area,” Japan’s Foreign Ministry stated after the meeting. “Furthermore, Vice-Minister Okano reiterated to Ambassador Wu the Government of Japan’s serious concerns regarding the passage of a Chinese Navy aircraft carrier between Yonaguni Island and Iriomote Island in the early hours of the September 18th, in light of a series of recent actions by China, and strongly urged Ambassador Wu to improve the situation,” it added. Japan’s Foreign Press Secretary Kitamura Toshihiro revealed that the suspect has already been detained by the local authorities and is currently being interrogated. “It is important how we respond to this case. The Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou has requested the local authorities to share detailed information from the perspective of protecting Japanese nationals, and is strongly requesting that they take all possible measures to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals,” said Kitamura. Considering the sensitivity of the issue, the Foreign Press Secretary refrained from answering any speculative questions at this point about the background to the crime or the impact it may have on Japan-China relations. –
