A man attacked a bus used by a Japanese school in Suzhou, China, with what appeared to be a knife on Monday, seriously injuring a Chinese woman and injuring a Japanese woman and her child, a Japanese consulate official said. Shanghai.
The Chinese woman, who was aboard the bus, was in critical condition, while injuries suffered by the Japanese woman and her toddler, who were waiting at a bus stop, were not life-threatening, the official said.
Asked whether strained ties between Japan and China could have been behind the attack, the official declined comment, saying local authorities had already taken the man into custody and were investigating the matter.
The incident took place in a district where many foreigners, including Japanese, live.
The school was closed on Tuesday, while other Japanese schools in the country have tightened security measures.
While the motive for the attack remains unclear, the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai has sent staff to the site to investigate. The Japanese embassy in Beijing, meanwhile, has also warned Japanese nationals to be alert after the attack.
In a message issued late Monday, the embassy called for “careful attention to the surrounding situation,” noting that stabbing incidents have recently occurred across the country in parks, schools, subways and other places where people gather.
