Security officers stand outside the Embassy of China in Japan, Tokyo, where a man believed to be a member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces broke in armed with a knife on March 24, 2026. Photo: VCG

A travel alert advising Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan popped up on many people's cellphones on Thursday, citing "constant deterioration of security environment for Chinese nationals in Japan" concern while referring to the extremely vile act of a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force member who broke into the Chinese Embassy in Japan.

This is at least the eighth security alert issued by Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy or Consulates in Japan over public safety concerns since 2026. 

Recently, Japan has seen worsening public security, with a sharp rise in criminal cases targeting Chinese citizens, leading to a continued deterioration of security environment for Chinese nationals in Japan. On March 24, an active‑duty officer of the Japan Self‑Defense Forces broke into the Chinese Embassy in Japan by scaling the wall with a knife, posing a grave threat to the personal safety of Chinese diplomatic personnel and the security of diplomatic premises. The nature and impact of this incident are extremely vile, according to the alert issued by consular department of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs via its official WeChat account on Thursday.     

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in Japan solemnly advised Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan in the near future. Those already in Japan should closely monitor the local public security situation, heighten their safety awareness, and strengthen self-protection, read the alert. 

Regarding the intrusion of the SDF member, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, on Thursday urged Japan to immediately conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, severely punish the perpetrator, and give a responsible explanation to China.  

Lin Jian, a spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry, on Wednesday said that China deplores the incident and has protested to the Japanese side both in Beijing and Tokyo. 

The Chinese Embassy in Japan has issued five alerts on its website since 2026, reminding Chinese citizens of paying attention to personal safety in the country and advising Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan recently.

Among them, two were issued on March 4, one referred a case on March 1 where several Chinese citizens were harassed by Japanese right-wingers while watching a marathon on the streets of Tokyo.

The other reminded Chinese nationals to beware of individuals who deliberately collided foreign visitors or minor groups such as women, children and the elderly people as such incidents have surged recently and sparked widespread public concern.

Global Times