Tokyo demands answers over Japanese boy’s stabbing death in China
Japan’s foreign minister demanded a clearer explanation of the circumstances behind the stabbing death of a Japanese boy in China in a meeting in New York yesterday with her Chinese counterpart.
Yoko Kamikawa asked that Beijing strongly punish the alleged perpetrator, who was apprehended at the scene, and take stronger steps to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in China after the attack, which took place Wednesday as the 10-year-old was on his way to a Japanese school in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Beijing should also crack down on anti-Japanese comments online, she told Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat.
Wang said Japan should view the situation “calmly and rationally” and not politicize or escalate what he called an “isolated incident,” the motive for which is unclear. He said China would continue to ensure the safety of all foreign nationals in China, according to a readout of the meeting from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The meeting also came after Beijing announced last week that China and Japan had ended their dispute over the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The dispute had included a Chinese ban on the importation of Japanese seafood, though it is unclear when those imports might resume.
U.N. General Assembly to open in New York under shadow of global conflict
World leaders have gathered today for the United Nations General Assembly in New York amid ongoing and escalating conflict in the Middle East, while wars rage in Ukraine and Sudan.
U.N. General Secretary Antonio Guterres has previewed his opening “State of the World” speech, saying “our world is heading off the rails — and we need tough decisions to get back on track.”
President Joe Biden will address the United Nations General Assembly for the final time as commander in chief this morning, but for the first time since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October and the conflict that has ensued in Gaza, killing thousands of civilians.
Brazilian president Lula da Silva and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are also set to speak today.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are both scheduled to speak on Thursday.
See the full schedule of speakers here.
