Man Sentenced to Death for Killing Japanese Boy in China

Hong Kong/Beijing, Jan. 24 (Jiji Press)--A Chinese regional court on Friday held the first hearing in the trial of a 45-year-old man charged with fatally stabbing a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen last September and sentenced him to death the same day, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said.

According to the officials, the court in the city in the southern province of Guangdong did not mention Japan in connection with his motive, including whether the defendant, Zhong Changchun, specifically targeted Japanese people.

The court described his act as extremely vicious, noting that he killed an innocent child to attract attention online and called the media after committing the crime. It concluded that it was appropriate to give him capital punishment.

During the day’s court hearing, Japan was mentioned only once, when the defendant said that he wanted to talk to lawyers and the Japanese Embassy.

Yoshiko Kijima, Japan’s consul-general in Guangzhou, was among the spectators at the hearing.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]