An active officer of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces was arrested Tuesday after breaching the grounds of China’s embassy in Tokyo, sparking complaints from Beijing in another episode likely to keep ties between Japan and China strained.
Japan’s Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that 23-year-old Kodai Murata was arrested on suspicion of trespassing after allegedly entering the Chinese embassy in Tokyo without permission.
Murata is a second lieutenant of the Ground Self-Defense Forces based in Miyazaki prefecture in southwestern Japan, according to local media. He has admitted to trespassing and claims that he had intended to meet with the Chinese Ambassador to request that he tone down his hard-line rhetoric, according to reports by the Nikkei newspaper, Kyodo and others.
The incident is likely to fuel tensions between Tokyo and Beijing that have been simmering since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested her country could be militarily involved if China attempts to forcibly seize Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy claimed by Beijing.
Reports this week that Japan has dropped a description of Japan-China ties as one of Tokyo’s most important bilateral relationships in an initial draft of an annual policy handbook are also likely to further cool ties between the two neighbors.
Murata appears to have scaled the embassy wall from the fourth floor of a neighboring building, before being subdued by an embassy staff and handed over to the police later in the day, according to the Mainichi newspaper.
Reports also said that he planned to kill himself if the ambassador didn’t accept his demands. A knife with a blade of about 18 centimeters was found in the shrubbery of the embassy, the reports added.
“China is deeply shocked at this incident and has lodged strong démarche and protests with Japan,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular media briefing on Tuesday. He said the incident severely threatened the safety of Chinese diplomatic personnel and the security of diplomatic facilities, calling it “extremely egregious” in nature.
Lin said that the tension in China-Japan relations stems from Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, which “sparked outrage from the Chinese people and tested the red line of the post-war international order.”
Japan’s top government spokesman said policing at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo would be increased in response. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the incident involving the arrest of the SDF member was regrettable.
The revised description of China appears in a draft of Japan’s 2026 Diplomatic Bluebook, according to local media reports. The draft refers to China as an important neighbor and emphasizes continued communication between the two countries, while also saying that China is taking coercive measures against Japan.
The policy book is expected to be approved next month.
With assistance from Nectar Gan and Yoshiaki Nohara.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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