3 injured in knife attack at Japanese restaurant in Shanghai

TOKYO – Three people, including two Japanese men, were injured in a knife attack on May 19 at a Japanese restaurant in Shanghai, according to the Japanese government.

A 59-year-old man wielding a fruit knife stormed into the restaurant in a commercial building in the city’s Pudong New Area and injured the three, the local authorities said.

The third victim is a Chinese woman, according to workers in the building. The attacker was later apprehended by police.

The two Japanese citizens were rushed to a hospital and have been receiving treatment there, according to the police. One of them is a senior official at a Japanese company whose office is located in the building, the workers said.

Tokyo has demanded that Beijing ensure the safety of Japanese people living in China, a Japanese government source said.

The man has a history of mental illness, and the authorities said they are looking into the case.

A Japanese man who works at the building in the financial district said: “Five or six police officers were at the restaurant following the attack. I was surprised because I had frequented the eatery.”

The incident occurred amid strained ties between the two Asian neighbours over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Parliamentary remarks last November, suggesting Japan could deploy its defence forces in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. KYODO NEWS