The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office formally indicted Akira Murata, a Self-Defense Forces officer who previously broke into the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo with a knife, on charges including building intrusion, violating the Sword and Firearms Law, and coercion on July 27. A mental evaluation confirmed he has full criminal responsibility.
Later that day, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Japan responded, pointing out that this incident highlights the harmful impact of Japan’s misguided policies on core issues like history and Taiwan, which have become a social breeding ground for a “new type of militarism.” Japan must take responsibility and provide a clear explanation to China and the international community, digging into the root causes and severely punishing those involved.
On the morning of March 24, Akira Murata climbed over the wall and forcibly entered the Chinese Embassy in Japan, threatening to kill staff “in the name of God.” Japanese police reported that the 23-year-old, born in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, and a graduate of Sophia University’s philosophy department, was a Third Lieutenant assigned to the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Ebino Camp.
The Ebino Camp, located in the Ebino area of Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, was previously selected as a deployment site for “high-speed glide bombs for island defense,” marking a shift in Japan’s defense strategy from “exclusive defense” to long-range strike capability.
Murata was initially arrested on suspicion of illegal entry into a building. During questioning, he admitted to forcing his way into the embassy to protest: He demanded Japan stop its tough stance, or he would commit suicide with the knife he carried. Murata’s parents publicly stated that their son showed no extreme tendencies while growing up and studying in his hometown.
An embassy is considered the territory of the represented country abroad. According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, host nations are obligated to protect the safety and dignity of foreign embassies, preventing intrusions or damage, and avoiding disturbances that compromise their dignity.
Since Takako Sanae was elected Prime Minister last year, rising security issues for Chinese citizens and a persistent rightward shift in Japanese politics have chilled people-to-people exchanges. Many Chinese have canceled group tours to Japan. Chinese embassies have repeatedly issued safety warnings.
On March 1, during a marathon in Tokyo, several Chinese citizens were harassed by a group of Japanese right-wing activists but were stopped by local police. The Chinese Embassy immediately raised the issue with Japanese authorities, urging them to protect the legal rights of Chinese citizens in Japan.
On July 16, a collision between a car driven by Chinese tourists and a train at a railway crossing in Furano, Hokkaido, injured five tourists. On July 20, another car crash in Furano killed one Chinese tourist and injured five others.
Meanwhile, Japanese right-wing forces are taking significant steps toward reviving militarism at the expense of public welfare, abandoning peaceful development promises and undermining the post-war international order. The Sanae administration has also attempted to revise the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles,” specifically the principle of not allowing nuclear weapons into the country. These moves have sparked strong concerns across Japanese society.
Additionally, Japan is set to establish a “National Intelligence Agency” on July 31, with the first director being Kazuya Hara, the current Cabinet Intelligence Chief.This agency, upgraded from the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, will not only coordinate intelligence from various ministries but also directly carry out intelligence operations.
Lu Yaodong, a Japanese affairs expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, analyzed that the establishment of this agency and its personnel arrangement represent a key move by Japanese right-wing forces to break through the post-war peace constitution and achieve military expansion and geopolitical ambitions, posing a real threat to regional peace and stability.