Japanese military officer arrested over alleged entry into Chinese Embassy in Tokyo

TOKYO - A 23-year-old second lieutenant in Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force was arrested on March 24 on suspicion of unlawfully entering the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo earlier in the day, police said.

Kodai Murata, a member of the GSDF’s Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture, was initially detained by embassy staff. He is believed to have been carrying a knife found near the scene, but no one was injured, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

The Chinese government said the intruder threatened to kill Chinese diplomats, and that it has lodged a strong protest with the Japanese government.

The police quoted Murata as saying to investigators, “I tried to convey my opinions to the ambassador,” and that if his thoughts were rejected, “I was planning to surprise them by taking my own life.”

The suspect allegedly entered the premises at around 9am. The police said they were notified by the embassy at around noon.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference in Beijing that the country has urged Tokyo to investigate thoroughly and punish the person responsible.

The individual climbed over the wall and forcibly broke into the embassy on the morning of March 24, according to the Chinese government. A knife was found in the shrubbery, the police said.

Mr Lin said the incident was “extremely malicious and posed a serious threat to the safety of Chinese diplomats”.

The embassy urged Tokyo to take preventive measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomatic missions and personnel in the country. Japanese police provide round-the-clock security for the embassy compound.

The Ground Self-Defense Force, in a statement, called the arrest of one of its members “very regrettable”, adding that it will cooperate fully with the police and deal with the case “strictly”, proceeding “based on facts”.

A second lieutenant is the lowest officer rank within the GSDF. KYODO NEWS