Attacks in China and Japan raise concerns about xenophobia in both countries

Security personnel walk at a subway station platform in Suzhou

A Japanese woman living in China was attacked and injured by a man in a Suzhou subway station, Japanese media outlets said, hours after two Chinese men were seriously injured in violence in Tokyo.

The attacks last week raised concern about xenophobic sentiment in both China and Japan that have been blamed for assaults in both countries. It was the third attack involving Japanese living in China since last year. In the two previous cases in China, Chinese authorities have insisted they were isolated incidents.

The Japanese broadcaster NHK did not identify the woman injured in Suzhou by name but, citing the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, said she was with her child inside a subway station when the attack took place. The child was not injured, and the mother had returned home after reportedly getting treated at a hospital, NHK reported.

A phone call to the Suzhou Police went unanswered on Friday evening, and the local police were yet to release any official statement. But the Japanese news agency Kyodo said the suspect had been detained.

In Tokyo Thursday, two Chinese men were seriously injured in attacks, and four male assailants wielding unspecified weapons remained at large, according to a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Japan. The identities of the assailants were unclear.

The Chinese Embassy urged the Japanese authorities to take action to catch the assailants in the Tokyo attack and to ensure the safety and legal rights of Chinese citizens in Japan “in response to the recent surge in xenophobic sentiment in Japanese society.”

In southern China last September, a 10-year-old Japanese student died after being stabbed by a Chinese man not far from the gate of the Shenzhen Japanese School in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The man was sentenced to death.

In June 2024, a Japanese woman and her child were injured in an attack by a Chinese man, also in Suzhou. A Chinese bus attendant who tried to protect them from the attack was killed. The man was sentenced to death.

On Friday, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China called for Chinese authorities to ensure Japanese citizens’ safety and security in China.

“It is extremely regrettable that such an incident has happened again. Ensuring the safety of employees and their families is fundamental for doing business in China,” the statement said.

FU TING, MDT/AP