China has executed Zhong Changchun, the man convicted of fatally stabbing a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen last September. The Japanese embassy in Beijing confirmed the execution, calling the murder of the child “an unforgivable crime” and expressing deep concern for the safety of Japanese nationals living in China.
Zhong was sentenced to death in January after being found guilty of attacking the boy while he was walking to a Japanese school in the south-eastern Chinese city. The brutal act sparked outrage in both Japan and China, with many fearing it was motivated by xenophobia. Although the verdict did not directly mention Japan or any racial motivation, Japanese officials have noted that Zhong had expressed a desire to speak with the victim’s family before his execution.
The attack occurred on 18 September, a date of deep historical significance in China. It marks the anniversary of the 1931 Mukden Incident, which led to Japan’s occupation of Manchuria. Many online commentators have speculated that the timing was intentional, highlighting the rise of unchecked nationalism on Chinese social media platforms, which have increasingly been used to spread anti-foreign sentiment.
The incident intensified safety fears among the Japanese community in China. Major companies such as Toyota advised their staff to exercise caution, while others like Panasonic offered employees free flights back to Japan. The Japanese government responded by vowing to bolster protection for its citizens abroad and has urged Beijing to do more to safeguard foreign residents.
This case is one of several recent high-profile attacks on foreigners in China. Last June, a man in Suzhou fatally stabbed a Chinese woman who tried to protect a Japanese mother and her child. He, too, was executed, according to Japanese authorities.
These violent episodes come at a time of fragile China-Japan relations, long strained by historical grievances and territorial disputes. China has repeatedly demanded stronger apologies from Japan for its wartime actions, while Japan accuses China of fostering nationalistic hostility.
As diplomatic tensions simmer, the tragic loss of a child serves as a grim reminder of the human cost of unresolved historical wounds and growing extremism.
