Online Threat to Japanese School Deepens Security Concerns for Japan Nationals in China

Chinese authorities inspect the scene of a stabbing at the Shenzhen Japanese School in Shenzhen, China, on Sept. 18, 2024. Kyodo News via APA violent online threat targeting a Japanese school in Shanghai, China, has raised fresh concern over the safety of Japanese citizens in the country, prompting Japan’s embassy to issue a heightened security alert as Chinese ultranationalist sentiment surges amid worsening diplomatic tensions.The incident began when screenshots circulated last week from a group chat on WeChat, China’s heavily censored social media platform, where a user wrote that he planned to “go to the Japanese school on Monday,” followed by “I can’t wait” and repeated messages reading “kill kill kill.” The individual was later questioned by police and claimed he had no intention of carrying out an attack. Still, the threat drew widespread attention due to its timing and the school’s past experiences with security incidents.