Online Threat to Japanese School Deepens Security Concerns for Japan Nationals in China
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A 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.
The Japanese school in Shanghai is one of the largest of its kind abroad and has previously increased security or shifted to online classes following attacks against Japanese citizens elsewhere in China.
Japan Warns Citizens in China
On Monday, Japan’s embassy in Beijing urged Japanese nationals across China to take care in their interactions with Chinese people, avoid traveling alone, and pay close attention to their surroundings. The advisory emphasized special caution for those traveling with children.Embassy officials noted that the warning came in part because of recent media coverage in China related to Japan, a reference to rising ultranationalist rhetoric, and the public reaction to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statements about Taiwan earlier this month.
Anti-Japanese Rhetoric is Common Online
For many people in Shanghai, the threatening messages were troubling but not surprising.Xu, who works in the city, told The Epoch Times on condition of redacting her full name due to safety concerns, that such hostile comments toward Japan and the United States circulate widely in online group chats.
“If you criticize the Communist Party, your account gets banned immediately,” she said. “But anti-Japanese or anti-American remarks are allowed to circulate.”
Liu, a Shanghai resident familiar with Chinese legal procedures who also requested the redaction of his full name, told The Epoch Times that Chinese authorities apply a double standard when dealing with inflammatory speech.
“If someone posted the same violent language but directed it at China’s leaders, the police response would be completely different,” he said.
The authorities’ handling of threats toward the Japanese school reflects how anti-Japanese narratives have long circulated online.
Ultranationalist Education Shapes Public Discourse
Experts say the tone of online hostility reflects years of state-driven ultranationalist education and tightly controlled political speech.Zhao, a China-based researcher on information governance, told The Epoch Times on condition of redacting his full name that ultranationalist language is deeply embedded in Chinese public discourse.
“When [Chinese] people talk about foreign countries, the emotional tone comes naturally,” he said. “After years of [ultranationalist] indoctrination, certain expressions become standardized ways of speaking online.”
He added that many users express themselves more aggressively toward foreign countries because the censorship system makes domestic political criticism risky.
“People often don’t know where the red lines are,” Zhao said.
Gu, a former Shanghai teacher, told The Epoch Times on condition of redacting his full name that students often replicate rhetoric they encounter online and in history lessons.
“Some of these terms show up constantly on the internet, so students repeat them,” he said. “History lessons often emphasize anti-Japanese and anti-Western themes. I’ve never agreed with this approach, but it comes from [the authorities] above.”
Threat Follows Real-World Violence
The online threat came against the backdrop of a series of violent incidents targeting Japanese citizens in China. In June, a Japanese mother and her child were stabbed near a Japanese school in Suzhou, with a Chinese staff member killed while trying to protect them. In September, a 10-year-old Japanese boy was fatally stabbed while walking to school in Shenzhen.Japan’s Foreign Ministry has repeatedly protested to Beijing, urging China to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens. The Japanese school in Shanghai implemented security measures during previous incidents, including temporary remote instruction.
Diplomatic Tensions Rising
The threat emerged during a period of escalating diplomatic strain between the two countries. Takaichi recently told the Japanese parliament that a conflict in the Taiwan Strait could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, prompting fierce criticism from Beijing. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later issued a travel advisory urging Chinese citizens to avoid Japan, citing what it called heightened risks.Japan has lodged multiple protests, including one after the Chinese Consul in Osaka suggested the decapitation of Japan’s Prime Minister, a remark that triggered widespread condemnation, in a now-deleted X post.
Current online discourse in China shows that the diplomatic dispute has amplified ultranationalist expressions and increased the risks for Japanese citizens living in China.
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Xin Ling contributed to this report.
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