Murder of Jiang Ge

Murder of Jiang Ge
Jiang Ge, the victim
Location	Nakano, Tokyo, Japan
Date	3 November 2016
Attack type	Murder by stabbing
Victim	Jiang Ge (江歌)
Perpetrator	Chen Shifeng (陈世峰)
Verdict	20 years in prison
Convictions	Murder

The murder of Jiang Ge occurred in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan, on 3 November 2016. Jiang Ge, a 24-year-old graduate student from China at Hosei University, was stabbed to death by Chen Shifeng, a 25-year old Chinese national, just outside her apartment. The case was controversial in China after it was discovered that Jiang's roommate Liu Xin, who initially claimed that she did not know the identity of the murderer, was the murderer's ex-girlfriend. It later emerged that before the murder Liu asked Jiang to accompany her home as she was afraid of Chen. When Chen appeared she entered the apartment before Jiang, locked the door behind her, and called the police. Liu was heavily criticised in the Chinese media for failing to assist Jiang.

People involved

Jiang Ge (Chinese: 江歌; pinyin: Jiāng Gē) (1992 – 3 November 2016) was from the city of Jimo (present-day Jimo District in the city of Qingdao), Shandong Province, in eastern China. She was raised by her mother Jiang Qiulian (Chinese: 江秋莲; pinyin: Jiāng Qiūlián), who had divorced Ge's father when she was one year old. After the completion of her college entrance examination, she moved to Weihai to study in a junior college and later took Self-Taught Higher Education Examinations in Qufu to study for her undergraduate degree.^[1][2][3] In April 2015 she started studying abroad at a Japanese language school, and in April 2016 she was admitted to the first-year postgraduate degree program at Hosei University in Tokyo.^[1]

Liu Xin (Chinese: 刘鑫; pinyin: Liú Xīn) (born 1992) is from Chengyang District in the city of Qingdao. In the summer of 2010 she began her major in Japanese at Taishan University in Qingdao, and in 2014 she came to Japan for postgraduate education. In April 2015, she enrolled as a graduate student at Daito Bunka University in Tokyo. Liu moved to Jiang's apartment in September 2016.^[4][5]

Chen Shifeng (Chinese: 陈世峰; pinyin: Chén Shìfēng) (born 1991) is from Yanchi County in the city of Wuzhong, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in western China. After graduating from a middle school in Dingbian County in the city of Yulin, Shaanxi Province in 2004, he entered Huaqiao University in 2009 and graduated in 2013. Following graduation, he worked at a Confucius Institute in Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand, where he taught calligraphy. In 2015 he moved to Japan where he attended a language school in Fukuoka, and in 2016 he entered the graduate school of Chinese studies at Daito Bunka University. Before the incident he lived in Itabashi Ward of Tokyo.^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

Murder

On November 2, 2016, at around 3:00 PM, Chen Shifeng went to the apartment shared by Liu Xin and Jiang Ge, where he harassed Liu in person. Liu sought help from Jiang, who had already left the apartment. Jiang suggested calling the police, but Liu cited that sharing the apartment was against local laws and she did not want to escalate the situation. Instead, Liu asked Jiang to return and help resolve the issue. Jiang came back and managed to persuade Chen to leave.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Afterward, Jiang returned to school, while Chen continued to follow Liu and sent her threatening messages. To fend off his harassment, Liu asked a colleague to pretend to be her boyfriend. Chen left angrily and sent her a message. Throughout this time, Liu did not inform Jiang about Chen's harassment and threats. Around 11:00 PM, feeling scared, Liu asked Jiang via WeChat to wait for her at the Higashi-Nakano Station so they could return to the apartment together. Jiang waited near the station and spoke with her mother, Jiang Qiulian, via WeChat voice call until Liu arrived.^[13][15][14]

Shortly after midnight on November 3, Jiang and Liu met and walked back to the apartment together. As they entered the second-floor hallway, Chen, who had been lying in wait upstairs, rushed down to the second floor with a knife. He confronted Jiang, who was walking behind Liu, and a dispute ensued. Liu, walking ahead, opened the apartment door, entered, and locked it.^[14]

Outside the apartment, Chen stabbed Jiang in the neck more than ten times with the knife and then fled the scene. Liu called the police twice from inside the apartment. Jiang, suffering from severe blood loss due to a left common carotid artery injury, died despite attempts to save her.^{[16][17][15][14]}

Trial and aftermath

Initially after the incident, Liu Xin claimed not to know and not to have any clues about who the perpetrator was, until four days later, on 7 November 2016, when the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested Chen on suspicion of intimidation after discovering he had sent a threatening email to Liu on the day of the murder. During the subsequent investigation, the police found evidence of his involvement in the crime and issued an arrest warrant for him on the suspicion of murder. On 14 December, the prosecution formally charged Chen with intimidation and murder, and the case was later scheduled for trial in December 2017.^{[17][18][19][20]}

On 14 August 2017, Jiang Ge's mother Jiang Qiulian posted an article on Chinese social media platforms and collected signatures for her petition from the public through online and postal means, urging the Japanese judicial authorities to sentence Chen Shifeng to death. In November of the same year, just before the trial began, she traveled to Tokyo and conducted a multi-day signature collection campaign at Ikebukuro Station's west exit park and reportedly collected over two million signatures before the trial proceedings began. However, some legal professionals, including Jiang's then-legal representative, believed that the impact of this petition campaign might be limited and it would be unlikely that Chen would be sentenced to death.^[17][21][22]

On 11 December, the trial of Chen Shifeng began at Tokyo District Court, and both the prosecution and defense presented their opening statements, followed by the introduction of prosecution evidence and forensic testimony from prosecution witnesses. The trial lasted till 20 December, involved the testimonies of Jiang Qiulian and Liu Xin. Chen was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder. On 22 December, he appealed against the first-instance judgment after the verdict was announced, but the appeal was withdrawn on 29 December and the original judgment officially came into effect.^{[23][24][25][26]}

Public opinion of the case in China

External videos
First meeting between Jiang Qiulian and Liu Xin with subtitles (23 August 2017) (Full Edition), YouTube

On 5 November 2016, two days after the murder, Jiang Qiulian posted on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, stating that the culprit who killed Jiang Ge was Chen Shifeng and he was Liu Xin's former boyfriend. This news attracted the attention of Chinese netizens and resulted in public debate regarding Liu's actions during Jiang's murder, with netizens accusing her of hiding in the room and not trying to save Jiang Ge who died while trying to protect her.^[27][20] Liu Xin believed that Jiang Qiulian's Weibo post led to online harassment and defamation from netizens. In private communications, Liu informed Jiang that she would cease contact with her after the case was resolved. Subsequently, Liu ignored the WeChat messages sent by Jiang and failed to attend Jiang Ge's funeral as agreed upon. She also did not meet with Jiang Qiulian when she traveled to Japan.^[28][29][30]

On 21 May 2017, since she was unable to meet with Liu for 200 days since the murder of her daughter, Jiang shared a post on Weibo blaming Liu for locking the door of the apartment during Jiang Ge's murder and publicly disclosed personal information of Liu including her photos, parents' names, phone number and identification card number in the post, in an attempt to pressure Liu into coming forward. The Weibo post resulted in a large number of shares and comments. In the days after posting on Weibo, Liu and her parents contacted Jiang, accusing her of invading their privacy and requesting that she delete the post. However, Jiang refused to comply with Liu's request and in early June of the same year, Sina deleted articles containing Liu's personal information due to privacy concerns. In response, Jiang printed more than a thousand flyers with the information from the articles and posted them across Liu's hometown in Qingdao.^{[30][31][2][20]}

In August 2017, both Jiang and Liu separately gave interviews to digital newspaper The Paper and an interview program hosted by The Beijing News. Through coordination by the two media outlets, Liu met with Jiang for the first time on 23 August. She expressed remorse for avoiding Jiang but the two still could not reach a resolution.^[30][28]

In the aftermath of Jiang Ge's murder, Liu faced significant criticism and condemnation from the Chinese public. The initial doubts about Liu originated from Jiang Qiulian's revelation in November 2016 about Liu's previous romantic relationship with Chen Shifeng. In May 2017, after Liu Xin and her family's personal information was made public, there was another wave of accusations and insults against her on the internet. In August 2017, Jiang's signature collection campaign brought the case back into the public spotlight, leading to further criticism and even causing Liu to be dismissed from the Japanese language school where she was teaching in Qingdao. In November, the interviews with Jiang and Liu by The Beijing News were published on the internet, generating a huge response in China and bringing certain doubts and details of the case back into the public eye. Some netizens believed that, although the online harassment against Liu Xin had reached the level of cyberbullying, given her actions in the case, it was a deserved punishment for her. However, some argued that until the facts are confirmed and responsibility is determined, the public's moral judgment of Liu lacks a factual basis and is unfair.^{[30][32][33][34][35][20]}

However, there are also voices that believe that before the truth is confirmed and responsibility is determined, public opinion's "moral trial" against Liu Xin is both unfounded and unfair.^[36][37] At the same time, some of Jiang Qiulian's actions have also aroused criticism and questioning from some netizens and the public. Some members of the public, represented by Chen Lan, accused Jiang Qiulian of raising huge amounts of charity and engaging in activities such as loan sharking^[38]，and asked Jiang Qiulian to disclose the whereabouts of the donations;^[39] some people even think that Jiang Qiulian is seeking benefits by hyping up Jiang Ge's case, but Jiang Qiulian denies these claims and believes that these voices are slanderous against her. Zhang Shi, deputy editor-in-chief of Japan's Chinese Herald and columnist for the Nikkei Chinese website, pointed out that compared with the extensive and high attention of the Chinese media, the Japanese media has very limited coverage of the case. He believed that this case was just an ordinary murder case involving an emotional dispute and had little impact on Japanese society. The Chinese public derives pleasure from the "moral trial" of Liu Xin, but the Japanese believe that Liu Xin not only has no legal responsibility, but is also one of the victims and should be protected rather than have her information exposed.^[40]

Subsequent trial of Liu Xin

Announcement of the verdict issuing date on Jiang Ge's case by the People's Intermediate Court in Qingdao

On the day Chen Shifeng was sentenced to prison by the court, Jiang Qiulian held a press conference and expressed that she could not accept the verdict that Chen was not sentenced to death. She also announced that she would file a lawsuit against Liu Xin after returning to China to investigate her responsibility in Jiang Ge's murder.^[41]

On the evening of 15 October 2018, Jiang posted on Weibo to announce a lawsuit against Liu Xin. The case was successfully filed on 28 October 2019. During this period, she traveled between China and Japan to obtain evidence regarding the case. On 22 December 2019, Weibo banned Liu Xin's account on the grounds that she had consumed money earned through donations from her followers and had attacked Jiang Ge's family.^[42][43]

On 5 June 2020, a pre-trial meeting was held at the People's Court of Chengyang District in Qingdao. On 15 April 2021, the case was heard in court. After a four-hour trial, the presiding judge announced an adjournment and would not pronounce the verdict in court that day, but at a later date. The case was originally scheduled to be pronounced on the morning of 31 December, but due to sudden illness of the presiding judge on the day earlier, the verdict was temporarily canceled.^[44][45]

On 19 January 2022, the court issued a first-instance judgment stating that Liu was at fault due to her locking the door at the time of Jiang Ge's murder and that she should bear the corresponding civil liability. The court ordered that Liu should pay ¥496,000 to Jiang Qiulian for her financial losses and another ¥200,000 for the mental anguish Jiang suffered over the murder of her daughter. The court's ruling further stated that "Jiang [Ge]’s selflessness toward others reflects Chinese traditional virtues and is in line with socialism’s core values, public order, and good morals, which should be praised … while Liu’s behavior goes against humanity and should be condemned.”^[46][47]

Jiang Qiulian at the court during the announcement of the verdict on Jiang Ge's case (2022)

On 24 January, Liu stated through her attorney that she had appealed against the ruling, and believed that the first-instance judgment found insufficient factual evidence and applied the law incorrectly, and requested the second-instance court to remand the case for retrial or change the judgment to reject all the appellee's claims in accordance with the law.^[48]

On 16 February, the hearing of Liu's appeal was held at Qingdao Intermediate People's Court. The trial lasted for four hours and the presiding judge adjourned the trial and announced the verdict at a later date. On 30 December, the court made a second-instance judgment where it rejected Liu's appeal and upheld the original judgment demanding that she pay the compensation to Jiang.^[49][50]

After the verdict was announced, Liu published a donation link on her personal Weibo account in an attempt to crowdfund nearly ¥700,000 in compensation. Her actions resulted in outrage from the public, including from Jiang Qiulian, and was found to be in violation of the charity law of China, which only allows registered charity organisations to host online fundraisers. As a result, her Weibo account was permanently closed on 4 January 2023.^[51]

On 1 June 2023, Jiang Qiulian issued an article stating that the total compensation of ¥696,000 had been paid by Liu after the court enforced the ruling four times. She also stated that she would contact relevant organizations to donate the compensation.^[52]

On 13 June, Jiang issued a statement on Weibo saying that she had received a notice of response from the Shandong Provincial Higher People's Court. The notice stated that Liu Xin was dissatisfied with the second-instance judgment made by the Qingdao Intermediate People's Court on 30 December 2022 and as a result, she had applied for retrial to the Provincial Higher People's Court. The court has opened the case for review.^[53]

Television coverage

In September 2022, Chinese legal drama television series Draw the Line (Chinese: 底線; pinyin: Dǐ Xiàn) reenacted the murder case with fictional character names in the fourteenth episode of the series.^[54]

References

1. "江歌 再也见不到"秋天"的留日女生". The Beijing News. 7 November 2016. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
2. "深度观察｜回顾 "江歌案"：舆论爆点的形成，来自中国社会对"恩将仇报"的深刻记忆". QQ.com. 10 January 2022. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
3. Kitamura, Yutaka (24 November 2017). "中国人留学生「巻き添え刺殺事件」母娘の無念". Nikkei Business. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
4. "中国人留学生「巻き添え刺殺事件」母娘の無念". Business Nikkei. 24 November 2017. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
5. "女子"躺枪"江歌案遭骚扰 接超过两千骚扰电话和短信". China News. 15 November 2017. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
6. "大学同学谈江歌案嫌犯陈世峰：善于把人当枪使". Sina. 15 November 2017. Archived from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
7. "华侨大学证实江歌案嫌疑人陈世峰系该校毕业生". China News Service. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
8. "Tokyo cops: Chinese national killed roommate of ex-girlfriend in Nakano". Tokyo Reporter. 26 November 2016. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
9. "起底江歌案嫌犯陈世峰:大学同学称其圆滑有心机". Sina. 15 November 2017. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
10. "震惊全国的"江歌遇害案"凶手陈世峰据传竟然是吴忠人!". Sohu. 15 November 2017. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
11. Yen, Alice (12 January 2022). "Jiang Ge murder: Chinese mother sues friend whose ex-boyfriend killed her daughter in Japan". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
12. "江歌案刘鑫否认反锁屋门 称自己也很痛苦想过轻生". Sina. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
13. "江歌案｜劉鑫被判賠近70萬元 中央政法委：法律必堅定為善良撐腰". HK01. 12 January 2022. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
14. Procuratorial Daily (11 January 2022). "The first-instance judgment in the life rights dispute case between Jiang Ge's mother and Liu Xin has been announced". Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
15. Yan, Alice (12 January 2022). "Jiang Ge murder: Chinese mother sues friend whose ex-boyfriend killed her daughter in Japan". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
16. Zhou, Viola (10 January 2022). "Woman Ordered To Pay $100K After Her Stalker Ex-Boyfriend Murders Flatmate". Vice. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
17. "中国女留学生日本遇害案告破 母亲：希望疑犯替我女儿偿命". China Daily. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
18. "中国人女性殺害の疑い、中国籍の大学院生を逮捕 東京". Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
19. "中国女留学生日本遇害 室友首度透露遇害案细节". People's Daily. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
20. Cai, Yiwen (16 November 2017). "Chinese Netizens Play Moral Jury in Tokyo Murder Case". The Sixth Tone. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
21. "江歌案11日开庭 江母:刑案结束对陈世峰提起民诉". Sina. 10 December 2017. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
22. "中国女留学生日本遇害 室友首度透露遇害案细节". QQ.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
23. Wang, Qingchu (20 December 2017). "Japanese court jails Chinese student for 20 years over woman's murder". Shanghai Daily. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
24. "江歌案第3天下午庭审直录：刘鑫否认递刀". Phoenix Television. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
25. "江歌案第二日上午庭审直录". Phoenix Television. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
26. ""江歌案"被告陈世峰不再上诉". Kankan News. 5 January 2018. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
27. Huang, He; Kang, Nin (2019). "Characteristics and mechanism of group polarization in the era of mobile Internet: A content analysis based on media texts and netizen comments on Jiang Ge case". Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 41 (2): 38–61. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
28. Yu, Yijing (15 November 2017). "Meeting of murdered student's mother and former roommate sparks controversy". China Plus. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
29. "江歌案明日东京开庭，江母称刑案结束后会对凶手提起民事诉讼". Sina. 10 December 2017. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
30. "一場遲到294天的見面｜江歌案專訪". QQ.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
31. Huang, Qian (2021). "The mediated and mediatised justice-seeking: Chinese digital vigilantism from 2006 to 2018". Internet Histories. 5 (3–4). Taylor & Francis Group (Internet Histories, 5:3–4, 304–322): 304–322. doi:10.1080/24701475.2021.1919965. hdl:1765/135460. S2CID 235350695.
32. "中国女留学生日本遇害 室友首度透露遇害案细节". People's Daily. 9 November 2016. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
33. Yang, Yu (19 November 2017). "江歌案的輿論風暴，是網絡暴力還是民意正義？". Initium Media. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
34. Yang, Ding (14 November 2017). "反对网络暴力，但可以"对刘鑫除外"？". QQ.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
35. "媒体：关于江歌案 舆论不妨等一等法律审判". Sina. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
36. 沈彬 (15 November 2017). "关于江歌案，这里有被大多数人无视的真相". 騰訊大家 (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
37. 胡印斌 (14 November 2017). "媒体：关于江歌案 舆论不妨等一等法律审判". 中國青年報 (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
38. "江歌母亲"流泪哭诉"：如何让受助者走出僵局？". news.cyol.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
39. 中银正道. "江歌妈妈"百万捐款"争议：赠与善款是否必须公开？". 搜狐. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
40. 張石 (13 December 2017). "江歌案初審:為何中日媒體溫差如此大？". 日經中文網 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
41. "江歌母亲东京开发布会:我对日本法律很失望很绝望". Sina. 20 December 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
42. ."留日女生江歌遇害711天，其母宣布将对其同学刘鑫提起诉讼". Sohu. 16 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
43. "消费、攻击"江歌案"死者母亲，刘鑫微博账号被封！网友：干得漂亮". Daily Economic News. 23 December 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
44. "江歌案今開審控辯雙方分歧大 審判長宣布擇期宣判". hk.on.cc. 15 April 2021. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
45. The Paper (30 December 2021). "因审判长突发疾病 江歌母亲诉刘鑫案开庭暂时取消". ifeng.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
46. Luo, Meihan (11 January 2022). "Court Compensates Mother of Chinese Student Murdered in Japan". The Sixth Tone. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
47. Cao, Yin (10 January 2022). "Mother of slain Chinese student wins lawsuit against girl's roommate". China Daily. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
48. "刘暖曦提出上诉". Sina. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
49. "江歌母亲江秋莲诉刘鑫案二审庭审近四小时 法庭宣布择期宣判". CCTV. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
50. "江歌案维持原判 刘鑫认为自己无过错". Lianhe Zaobao. 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
51. Zuo, Mandy (5 January 2023). "Public fury at Chinese woman who fundraised online to cover US$101,800 compensation order over brutal killing of friend prompts Weibo ban". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
52. ""已收到刘鑫全部赔偿款69.6万并将捐出"，江歌母亲发声：刘鑫借江歌案收受打赏、做生意，上诉费都是网民捐的". Daily Economic News. 1 June 2023. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
53. "江歌母亲：刘鑫不服二审判决申请再审". Xinhua. 13 June 2023. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
54. "內地熱播劇《底線》改編江歌案 江母：堅決不原諒劉暖曦". HK01. 29 September 2022. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.

External links

• Cheng, Xionan; Yang, Yilin; Zhao, Yitong (2022). "Implicit Media Anomie of News Entertainment Oriented: A Social Media Content Study on Jiang Ge Case". Proceedings of the 2022 3rd International Conference on Language, Art and Cultural Exchange(ICLACE 2022). Vol. 673. Atlantis Press. doi:10.2991/assehr.k.220706.094. ISBN 978-94-6239-592-3.
• "Chinese Student Murdered In Japan & Exposed The Darkest Side Of Humanity (Case of Jiang Ge)". Spotify. Rotten Mango podcast. February 2022.