SUZHOU, China: The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has warned Japanese nationals to be on alert following a knife attack Monday against a Japanese mother and her child by an apparent Chinese man in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

In the message issued late Monday, the embassy called for “careful attention to the surrounding situation,” noting that stabbing incidents have recently occurred around the country in parks, schools, subways and other places where people gather.

“It is regrettable that such an incident has occurred,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. “We’ve asked local authorities to take measures to prevent a recurrence and share detailed information.”

In Monday’s knife attack, the mother and preschool child were injured while they were waiting for a bus from a Japanese school in the city near Shanghai. They received treatment at a hospital and are not in life-threatening condition.

A Chinese woman who was a guide on the bus was also attacked. She is in critical condition.

The school was closed Tuesday, while other Japanese schools in the country strengthened their security. The motive of the attack is unclear, and the Japanese Consulate-General in Shanghai has dispatched staff to the site for investigation.

“I had thought that the area, where many Japanese people live, was relatively safe,” said a Japanese expatriate living in an apartment near the site of the incident.

“As someone with a child, I am worried,” the expat, who took the day off work, said. “I was told by my company to secure my safety.”

JIJI Press