China censors scrub letter supposedly by Japanese father of boy fatally stabbed

Letter says actions of a few 'vile individuals' should not harm ties between Japan, China

- Michelle Ng

A letter supposedly written by the Japanese father of a boy fatally stabbed in China said the actions of a few "vile individuals with twisted minds" should not harm bilateral ties, even as Japan called for more details about the case.

The letter, whose authenticity has yet to be confirmed, was circulated on Chinese social media on Sept 20, a day after the boy - whose mother is Chinese - died after being attacked on his way to school. But it was scrubbed by Chinese censors after about a day.

The attack in Shenzhen city, in southern Guangdong province, has continued to spark unease among Japanese nationals in China, with some Japanese firms offering to allow their staff to move back to Japan, Reuters reported.

Japanese officials are pressing China for more information about the case.

On Sept 23, Japan's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoshifumi Tsuge met China's Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in Beijing, following Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's demand for an explanation and for China to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens.

China's Foreign Ministry said both sides recognised each other's efforts to deal with the unfortunate incident appropriately and calmly, and agreed to maintain communication to avoid cases of an infrequent nature from affecting bilateral relations.

Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa was set to meet her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New York on Sept 23, and was expected to ask for better security following the stabbing, public broadcaster NHK reported.