Sinister Plot Unfolds: Fake Japanese Lawyer Email Targets Taiwanese School in Osaka, Exploiting Tragic Death to Fuel Japan-Taiwan Tensions
By Takeshi Yoshimura, Journalist
The repercussions of the incident in Shenzhen, China, in which a Japanese boy (10) was stabbed to death by a Chinese man (44), are reaching unexpected places.
By September 26th, testimony from those involved had revealed that the Osaka Chinese School (Principal Chiang Ye) in Naniwa Ward, Osaka City had received threatening emails impersonating an associate of a well-known Japanese lawyer and alluding to harm to the school’s students.
Threatening Email Sent to Taiwanese School in Osaka
The school is approved by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Council, Taiwan’s highest authority for overseas Chinese-related affairs, and provides kindergarten, primary school and junior high school education, with many Japanese children enrolled.
The Osaka Prefectural Police Naniwa Station, which received the report, confirmed that the email was sent through an overseas account and has strengthened patrols around the school. The school is also known as a place for friendly exchange between Japan and Taiwan in the Kansai region.
According to a source at the school, the threatening email was received via an inquiry email address listed on the school’s website on the 20th, the day after the death of a Japanese boy who had been stabbed by a Chinese man in Shenzhen was reported on the 19th.
The suspect pretended to be an associate of a well-known Japanese lawyer and threatened to harm the students at the school, which led the school to report the incident to the local Naniwa Police Station of the Osaka Prefectural Police.