China sentences man to death for attacking Japanese school bus

A Chinese man, Zhou Jiasheng, has been sentenced to death for attacking a Japanese mother and child with a knife, and killing a Chinese woman who tried to protect them, the Japanese government confirmed. The attack occurred on June 24 outside a Japanese school in Suzhou, China, after Zhou, 52, faced personal struggles following the loss of his job and mounting debts.
Zhou’s actions, described by the court as “intentional murder,” also resulted in significant social impact, which led to the death penalty. However, the court did not mention Japan during the ruling. Japanese officials from the consulate in Shanghai were present at the sentencing.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi condemned the crime, calling it “absolutely unforgivable” and paying tribute to Hu Youping, the Chinese bus attendant who died while trying to protect the victims. This attack, alongside another stabbing incident in Shenzhen that killed a Japanese schoolboy, has raised concerns within the local Japanese community in China.
China has been dealing with an increase in public violence, often driven by personal grievances, with 19 such attacks last year, up sharply from previous years. In recent days, several high-profile executions have taken place, including the execution of a man responsible for killing at least 35 people in a car attack. Additionally, a man who killed eight in a stabbing spree at his university last month was sentenced to death, and in December, a man who injured 30 by driving into a crowd outside a school received a suspended death sentence.