Japan races to limit fallout from Chinese embassy break-in

A policeman stands guard at an entrance to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo on March 25.

Photo: AFP Japan has moved swiftly to contain the diplomatic fallout after a member of its Self-Defence Forces broke into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo last week.

But observers and local media say the incident has given Beijing an opening to reinforce claims of rising militarism and anti-China sentiment in Japan.

Yoshinobu Kusunoki, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, on Monday called the break-in on March 24 “extremely unusual and serious”, adding that it “should not have happened”.

His remarks echoed those of Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who earlier said it was “deeply regrettable that a member of the Self-Defence Force, who is expected to abide by the law, has been arrested on suspicion of trespassing”.

A car driven by investigators enters a Ground Self-Defence Force base in Ebino, Miyazaki prefecture, on Sunday in connection with the break-in at the Chinese embassy in Tokyo.

Photo: Kyodo The suspect, Kodai Murata, 23, a second lieutenant based at Camp Ebino in Miyazaki prefecture, was detained inside the embassy compound.

He told police he wanted to “convey my opinions to the ambassador” – specifically, to urge China to abandon what he regarded as its hardline stance towards Japan.

He also said he had a knife and intended to kill himself with it if his demand was refused.

Chinese media went further, reporting that Murata had threatened to harm diplomatic personnel “in the name of god”, a claim Japanese authorities have disputed.

Police later searched both his barracks and his personal residence.

The speed and contrition of Tokyo’s official response did little to blunt the reaction in China, however.

Members of Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force operate a howitzer during a live-fire exercise in 2024.

Photo: AFP State media seized on the episode, with the Global Times publishing an editorial the day after the break-in declaring it “a mirror reflecting the grim reality of rampant far-right ideology and the resurgence of militarism within Japan today”.

Xinhua followed on Saturday, quoting Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian as saying the incident “once again highlights the danger of the rampant spread of far-right impact and neo-militarism in Japan” and accusing Tokyo of “erroneous policies on vital issues concerning China-Japan relations, such as history and Taiwan”, as well as failing to protect Chinese diplomatic premises.

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