According to CCTV News, on October 8, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning presided over a regular press conference. A reporter asked: According to reports, on October 1, the Tokyo District Court held its first public trial of Muraki Kōda, who illegally entered the Chinese embassy. What is China's comment on this?
Mao Ning stated that a current officer of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, armed with a knife, invaded and trespassed the Chinese embassy in Japan, and threatened the Chinese diplomats with violence. This is an unprecedented and violent incident in international society, which seriously violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It poses a serious threat to the personal safety of Chinese diplomats and the security of their diplomatic premises. It also exposes many deep-seated problems in Japan, such as rampant right-wing forces within Japan and the lack of discipline among members of the Self-Defense Forces. Whether the Japanese side will handle this case seriously according to law is a test of the Japanese government's ability to fulfill its obligations under international law. This has implications for Japan's national reputation and international image. We once again urge the Japanese side to severely punish the perpetrator and serve as a warning to others.
According to a report by Japan's Kyodo News, Muneji Murata, a lieutenant in the third rank of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, was charged with breaking into the Chinese Embassy in Japan and violating the Guntochi Law. On October 1st, during his first court appearance at the Tokyo District Court, he admitted to these two charges. The defense argued that the charge related to threatening embassy staff was not valid.
The indictment states that Muraoka broke into the Chinese Embassy in Japan on March 24. At that time, he was carrying a kitchen knife with a blade length of about 18 centimeters, and he made threatening statements to the embassy staff, such as “Patriots will replace the gods of Japan to kill you.”
In August, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force imposed a disciplinary dismissal on Murata.
The website of the Chinese Embassy in Japan stated in July that on March 24, an active-duty officer from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces broke into the Chinese embassy with a knife and made violent threats to the Chinese side. This constitutes a serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a grave infringement of China’s sovereignty and dignity, and poses a serious threat to the personal safety of Chinese diplomats and the security of diplomatic facilities. The nature of this incident is extremely serious. The facts related to the case are clear, and the evidence is solid.
This incident fully exposes the rampant extremist right-wing ideology and forces in Japan. It also reveals the adverse effects of the Japanese government's wrong policies on major issues related to Sino-Japanese relations, such as history and Taiwan. This has created a fertile ground for the rise of “new-style militarism” and its potential dangers. We strongly urge the Japanese side to take responsibility seriously, thoroughly investigate the case, uncover the root causes, severely punish those involved, and prevent such incidents from happening again. The Japanese side should provide a responsible account to China and the international community.
