China has urged Japanese authorities to take firm action over a former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) officer accused of entering the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo while carrying a knife, after the defendant admitted to trespassing at his first court hearing.
Kodai Murata, 24, admitted at the Tokyo District Court on Thursday that he had entered the embassy grounds on March 24. According to the indictment, he was carrying a kitchen knife with an 18-centimetre blade at the time. His defence, however, intends to dispute a charge relating to threatening behaviour.
Murata was serving as a second lieutenant at the GSDF’s Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture when the incident occurred. He was subsequently dismissed on disciplinary grounds in August.
Responding to the first hearing, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan said Beijing regarded the facts and evidence in the case as clear and called on Japan to punish the perpetrator, conduct a thorough investigation and provide an explanation over the incident.
The embassy characterised the intrusion as a serious breach of diplomatic security and said it violated protections afforded to diplomatic premises under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It also linked the incident to what it described as broader concerns over right-wing influences and discipline within Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. Those broader assertions represent the Chinese government’s assessment of the incident.
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces said when Murata was dismissed in August that it deeply regretted the conduct of one of its personnel and would strengthen measures to ensure members comply with laws and regulations. Japanese prosecutors had earlier indicted Murata after a psychiatric assessment concerning his criminal responsibility.
According to reporting on the court proceedings, Murata told the court that he objected to what he viewed as China’s diplomatic stance and said this had influenced his decision to enter the embassy.
The proceedings remain ongoing, with the court yet to determine the contested elements of the case.
