Hostilities Renewed in Suzhou, China, as Japanese Suffer Another Attack
In the latest development in the ongoing saga of anti-Japanese sentiment in China, a Japanese national was attacked and injured inside a subway station in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, on Thursday. The motive and other details of the incident remain unclear as investigations are ongoing.
This attack comes just over a year after a similar incident in the same city, where a Japanese woman and her child were attacked by a knife-wielding man in June 2024. In that incident, a Chinese woman who was a guide on the bus was tragically killed.
The recent attack has raised concerns about escalating xenophobia in China, with both countries expressing their worries. The Chinese embassy has urged Japanese authorities to protect Chinese citizens, while the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in China calls for better security for Japanese nationals in China.
The roots of anti-Japanese sentiment in China can be traced back to historical grievances stemming from the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), marked by Japanese military atrocities and occupation. This deep historical trauma has been continually reinforced by nationalist narratives in Chinese society and amplified by political actions and disputes such as the Senkaku Islands territorial conflict.
Recent causes for heightened anti-Japanese sentiment include the purchase of the Senkaku Islands by Japan in 2012, which sparked widespread riots in major Chinese cities, vandalism of Japanese businesses, and attacks on individuals associated with Japanese products. Additionally, Chinese popular culture heavily features anti-Japanese war films—over 200 produced annually—that focus on Japanese villainy during the war, further entrenching hostile views.
Political provocations, especially Japanese Prime Ministers' visits to the Yasukuni Shrine (where convicted WWII Japanese war criminals are enshrined), have repeatedly triggered strong negative reactions and mass protests in China.
Latest incidents contributing to this sentiment include violent attacks against Japanese individuals in China, such as the stabbing death of a Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen in 2024 and assaults on a Japanese woman and her child in Suzhou.
In terms of social responses, some cultural events with Japanese origins, like Natsumatsuri summer festivals, have been canceled in China amid protests since mid-2022, reflecting societal rejection of perceived Japanese cultural influences. The Chinese government has intermittently censored excessive anti-Japanese nationalism, especially online, to manage social stability but nevertheless supports maintaining strong narratives about historical victimization and national dignity.
China's official commemorations like the Museum of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression continue to serve as focal points for collective memory and education about the war and Japan's wartime aggression, underscoring the ongoing political and cultural significance attributed to this history.
In summary, anti-Japanese sentiment in China today arises from enduring historical wounds, exacerbated by territorial disputes, political symbolism, cultural reinforcement through media, and recent violent incidents. The response involves both popular nationalist expression, sometimes violent, and official diplomatic calls for protection of nationals amid mutual xenophobic tensions between China and Japan.
The escalating xenophobic tensions between China and Japan have expanded to the realm of general-news, with the latest attack on a Japanese national in Suzhou raising concerns about health and safety. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce in China has called for better security for Japanese nationals, demonstrating the impact these incidents have on politics.
The repeated attacks against Japanese individuals in China can be linked to the ongoing political-protestors' response towards Japan's purchase of the Senkaku Islands, the Yasukuni Shrine visits by Japanese Prime Ministers, and the production of anti-Japanese war films in Chinese popular culture. These factors contribute to the perpetuation of anti-Japanese sentiment, which consequently affects crime-and-justice.
