Authorities in both Japan and China have not disclosed the nationality or gender of the victim. The website of the Shenzhen Japanese School says it is for children of Japanese nationality, and Japanese media said the victim was a boy.
The local Japanese chamber of commerce has asked the Japanese government to ensure the safety of its nationals in the area, the organisation said in a statement.
The attack took place near the school on the anniversary of an incident in 1931 that triggered war between China and Japan, a sensitive date at a time when diplomatic relations are in danger of deteriorating.
It was the second such attack near a Japanese educational facility in China in recent months.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined to comment on any potential impact of the latest incident on bilateral ties.
In June, a man attacked a bus used by a Japanese school in the eastern city of Suzhou, resulting in the death of a Chinese national who tried to shield a Japanese mother and her child from the assailant.
Also on Wednesday, a Chinese aircraft carrier entered Japan’s contiguous waters for the first time, the latest in a string of military manoeuvres that prompted a protest from Tokyo to Beijing.
