Shanghai Knife Attack Injures 2 Japanese Nationals, Renewing Safety Concerns in China

Chinese authorities call the Shanghai stabbing an isolated case, but it revives public safety concerns after earlier attacks involving Japanese schools.

Chinese authorities inspect the scene of a stabbing at the Shenzhen Japanese School in Shenzhen, China, on Sept. 18, 2024. Kyodo News via AP

Two Japanese men and one Chinese woman were injured on May 19 after a man armed with a fruit knife attacked people at a Japanese restaurant inside the Shanghai World Financial Center, one of the city’s best-known commercial towers, according to Chinese and Japanese officials.

The May 19 attack occurred at Ginpei, a Japanese restaurant in Shanghai’s Pudong district, according to Japanese media Milrepo. Police detained the suspect at the scene, and the three victims were taken to a hospital, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing on May 20.

Officials Call Attack an Isolated Case

Guo described the stabbing as “an individual case concerning public safety,” saying Chinese authorities would handle the matter according to law. Asked whether the attack was deliberate or targeted Japanese nationals, Guo said the suspect had a mental disorder and warned against what he called efforts by some media and individuals to draw “false associations” or “hype up” the incident.

Chinese authorities have not released a motive beyond the suspect’s reported mental health condition. The investigation remains ongoing.

Japan Presses Beijing on Safety

Japan’s government asked Beijing to conduct a thorough investigation, explain the facts, punish the attacker according to law, take preventive measures, and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in China. Japan’s Foreign Ministry also issued a safety advisory urging Japanese citizens in China to remain cautious, avoid going out alone, and be especially careful when accompanying children, according to an announcement from the Consulate-General of Japan in Shanghai.

The Shanghai World Financial Center, developed by Tokyo-based Mori Building Co., is a landmark skyscraper in Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district and a major hub for Japanese and international companies.

The two Japanese victims were men—one a senior employee of a Japanese company with offices in the building—and both were local employees of Mori Building’s Chinese subsidiary, according to The Asahi Shimbun.

Previous Cases Involved Japanese Schools

The Shanghai case is the latest incident to alarm Japanese communities in China after earlier attacks involving Japanese nationals and Japanese schools.

In June 2024, a Chinese man attacked a Japanese mother and her child near a Japanese school bus stop in Suzhou, west of Shanghai. Hu Youping, a Chinese bus attendant who tried to stop the attacker, later died of her wounds. At the time, Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, described the attack as an isolated incident and said such cases could happen in any country.

In September 2024, a 10-year-old Japanese schoolboy was fatally stabbed near a Japanese School in Shenzhen. The killing drew strong concern from Tokyo and prompted Japanese officials to press Beijing for stronger protections for Japanese residents, particularly children.

Chinese authorities have described the Shanghai attack and earlier cases as individual criminal acts. Still, the recurrence of incidents involving Japanese nationals has renewed concern in Japan and among foreign communities in China. Authorities have not said when further findings in the Shanghai investigation will be released.