China | Hate thy neighbour

Another attack on a Japanese local points to a big problem in China

Has anti-Japanese xenophobia gone too far?

The Japanese flag flies at half mast at the Japanese embassy in Beijin
Photograph: Getty Images

A tragedy like this “could have happened in any country”, said China’s foreign-ministry spokesman on September 19th. A day earlier, in the southern city of Shenzhen, a Chinese man had stabbed a ten-year-old Japanese boy while he was on his way to school. The boy later died from his injuries. The assailant was arrested at the scene. The authorities have released no information about his motives.

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Hate thy neighbour”

From the September 28th 2024 edition

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