China Court Holds 1st Hearing over Killing of Japanese Boy

Hong Kong/Beijing, Jan. 24 (Jiji Press)--A Chinese regional court held the first hearing Friday for a man indicted for stabbing to death a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen last September.

As Chinese authorities have claimed that the killing was an isolated incident that happened by chance and declined to clarify details, the focus will be how far the motive for the crime, such as whether the man specifically targeted Japanese people, will be revealed by the court in the city in the southern province of Guangzhou.

Yoshiko Kijima, Japanese consul-general in Guangzhou, was among the spectators at the hearing.

The boy was stabbed in the abdomen while walking to school on the morning of Sept. 18 last year, and died in the small hours of the following day. The suspect in his 40s was taken into custody at the scene. According to a local newspaper, he did not have a regular job and had been detained by authorities in the past after causing trouble.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba brought up the incident at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Lima last November and asked him to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens in China. In response, Xi vowed to deal with the case based on the law and secure the safety of all foreigners, including Japanese nationals.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]