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William Zheng

A Japanese person who claimed to be an active officer of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces illegally and forcibly entered the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, Beijing said.
“China is deeply shocked by this incident and has lodged a strong protest with Japan,” Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
The person admitted to the illegality of their actions and threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the name of god, Lin Jian, spokesman for the foreign ministry, told a regular media briefing hours after the incident.
The ministry did not identify the person or their gender.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that the intruder was a man and believed to be affiliated to the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force.
A knife was found at the scene, but no embassy staff were injured, the report said. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was investigating the incident, it added.
In Beijing, Lin described the nature and impact of the incident as “extremely egregious”.
“It seriously violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, severely threatens the personal safety of Chinese diplomatic personnel and the security of diplomatic facilities.”

The incident once again “reflects the rampant far-right ideology and forces within Japan and the growing threat of new militarism”, Lin added.
He said it exposed “the deep-seated pernicious influence of the Japanese government’s erroneous policies on major core issues concerning Sino-Japanese relations, such as history and Taiwan”.
Beijing and Tokyo have faced months of heightened tension since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi linked a hypothetical Taiwan contingency with the possible deployment of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces.
Beijing’s response to her November remarks has included travel advisories for Chinese tourists to Japan, reinstating a ban on Japanese seafood imports, and export restrictions on “dual-use” technologies and military-related entities.


It has also accused Japan of remilitarisation, citing its defence budget increases and remarks on Taiwan. Tokyo has rejected the accusations as unjustified.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US and its ally Japan, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
However, Lin said the incident showed that “Japan has failed to properly control and educate its Self-Defence Force personnel and has failed to fulfil its security responsibilities towards Chinese embassies, consulates, and diplomatic personnel.
Beijing has demanded that Tokyo immediately conduct “a thorough investigation” into the incident, severely punish those responsible and provide a responsible explanation to China, he added.
Lin also urged Japan to guarantee the safety of Chinese embassies and consulates, “reflect on and correct its mistakes in its China policy”, and fundamentally prevent such incidents from happening again.


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China-Japan relations

Japanese ‘military officer’ forces way into Chinese embassy in Tokyo

Beijing and Tokyo have faced months of heightened tension since the Japanese prime minister linked a hypothetical Taiwan contingency with the possible deployment of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian has referred to the “growing threat of new militarism”. Photo: Kyodo

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, pictured soon after being re-elected in February, has sought to cultivate a close relationship with US President Donald Trump amid Japan-China tension. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reacts to the music as she arrives for a state dinner, at the White House on March 19. Photo: Handout

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump deliver remarks in the State Dining Room. Photo: Handout

Then US president Barack Obama hugs Shigeaki Mori, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, during a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in May 2016. Photo: AFP

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has said that a war over Taiwan would drag his country “kicking and screaming” into such a conflict. Photo: AFP

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s remarks suggesting that Beijing move on from its diplomatic conflict with Tokyo have elicited strong backlash on Chinese social media. Photo: AFP

News

China

Diplomacy

Intruder threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the name of god, China’s foreign ministry says


Intruder threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the name of god, China’s foreign ministry says.


Japanese ‘military officer’ forces way into Chinese embassy in Tokyo

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Intruder threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the name of god, China’s foreign ministry says

Intruder threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the name of god, China’s foreign ministry says