A 10-year-old student at a Japanese school in China tragically died on Thursday after being stabbed on his way to school the previous day, Japanese officials have confirmed. The incident has triggered demands from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for Beijing to take stronger measures in protecting Japanese nationals residing in the country.

Expressing deep concern over the incident, Prime Minister Kishida described the crime as "extremely despicable" and a matter of utmost seriousness. While refraining from making any premature judgments on its impact on Sino-Japanese relations, he urged the Chinese authorities to provide all relevant facts regarding the case.

In response to the tragedy, the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences and sympathy to the boy's family. The ministry confirmed that the incident was still under investigation, and emphasized that it did not believe that this individual case would have a negative effect on the overall China-Japan relations.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the stabbing occurred on Wednesday, approximately 220 yards away from the Shenzhen Japanese School in the city of Shenzhen. The wounded student was promptly rushed to the hospital, and a suspect was apprehended at the scene. However, the motive behind the attack still remains unclear.

Tragically, the stabbing incident took place on the anniversary of the 1931 Mukden incident, a historical event that has contributed to tensions between China and Japan. In response to the sensitivity of the date, Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Yoko Kamikawa revealed that the government had already advised Japanese schools and institutions in China to increase safety measures. This advice followed a stabbing attack in June at a bus stop for a Japanese school in Suzhou, where a Japanese woman and child were injured and a Chinese national who tried to intervene was killed.

Expressing regret over the timing of the incident, Minister Kamikawa disclosed that the Japanese government had requested the Chinese Foreign Ministry to take all possible steps to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and institutions on the Mukden anniversary.

In light of the tragic incident, flags at Japanese diplomatic missions in mainland China and Hong Kong were lowered as a mark of respect. China and Japan have a significant trade partnership, however, the Chinese public still holds strong memories of Japanese military occupation during World War II. Anti-Japanese sentiment periodically resurfaces and is sometimes fueled by Chinese authorities, leading to protests and boycotts.

Tensions between the two nations have also recently been heightened due to increased Chinese military activities in the Asia-Pacific region, including near Japan. The incident coincided with reports of a Chinese military plane violating Japanese airspace and a Chinese aircraft carrier entering Japan's contiguous waters.

While gun violence is rare in China, the country has witnessed a series of stabbing attacks in recent years. In June, four U.S. university instructors were injured in a knife attack at a public park in Jilin, though none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Despite the occasional nationalist and anti-Japanese comments on Chinese social media, there has been a significant outpouring of sympathy for the young student online, with users expressing a desire for improved China-Japan friendship and a world free from extremism.

As investigations into the tragic incident continue, it remains to be seen how it will impact the delicate relationship between China and Japan.