A recent violent incident in Japan has sparked widespread outrage on mainland Chinese social media. A tourist from China, Su Weihao, 53, was stabbed by a mugger in Osaka while returning to his hotel with his wife on July 22. The attacker, who repeatedly shouted “money, money,” inflicted wounds on Su’s left arm and hand, while his wife fortunately remained unharmed.
The couple quickly sought refuge in a nearby convenience store, where customers called the police. The assailant fled the scene empty-handed. The Japanese police described the attacker as approximately 1.7 meters tall and wearing a white T-shirt. He is now facing charges of robbery and personal injury.
Following the incident, staff from the Chinese Consulate in Osaka assured Southern Metropolis Daily that they were handling the situation and would provide assistance as needed. The attack has ignited significant discussions on social media platforms in China, with many expressing concerns about the declining public safety in Japan.
According to data from Japan’s National Police Agency, while the number of reported crimes in Japan had been declining for two decades after peaking in 2002, there was a noticeable increase in 2022. Nippon.com reported that last year saw 12,372 major crimes, including murder, robbery, indecent assault, and kidnapping, marking a 29.8 percent rise from the previous year.
The incident prompted a surge of comments on Chinese social media, with one post expressing reluctance to travel overseas receiving 14,000 likes. The user questioned why people do not appreciate the landscapes in China, suggesting that domestic travel is not only comparable to international destinations but also safer. The post also drew parallels with similar incidents in other countries, such as the US.
Some users recalled the heroic act of Hu Youping, who died shielding a Japanese mother and her child during a knife attack on a school bus in Suzhou, north of Shanghai, in June. The attacker in that case was a 52-year-old unemployed Chinese man.
One commenter highlighted the contrast between the two incidents: “Two Japanese were stabbed in China, and a Chinese woman sacrificed herself to save them. The attacker was caught immediately. In Japan, two Chinese people were stabbed, no one helped, and the attacker is still at large. People worried about harming the business environment in China when Japanese were attacked. Will this attack on a Chinese person harm the business environment in Japan?”
Another person remarked, “Suzhou has heroes like Hu Youping, but Japan only shows indifference!”
This incident continues to fuel debates on social media about international travel safety and the varying responses to crime in different countries.
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