The arrested Japan Ground Self-Defense Force second lieutenant Kodai Murata Photo: VCG

"We strongly urge the Japanese side to earnestly take its responsibilities, thoroughly investigate the case as soon as possible and uncover the root causes, severely punish those involved, prevent similar incidents from happening again, and provide a responsible explanation to China and the international community," a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan said when asked to comment on Japan's announcement on Monday that it had indicted Kodai Murata, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) officer who broke into the embassy in March.

On March 24, an active-duty officer of the SDF broke into the Chinese Embassy in Japan while carrying a knife and issued violent threats against the Chinese side. It gravely violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, gravely infringed upon China's sovereignty and dignity, and posed severe threats to the personal safety of Chinese diplomats and the security of the embassy's premises. The facts of the case are clear and the evidence is conclusive, the spokesperson said.

The incident fully exposed the rampant rise of far-right ideology and forces in Japan, as well as serious failures in the management and education of SDF personnel. It also exposed the grave impact of the Japanese government's erroneous policies on major core issues concerning China-Japan relations, including history and the Taiwan question, which have created fertile social ground for "neo-militarism" to gain momentum and wreak havoc, the spokesperson said.

Tokyo prosecutors on Monday indicted SDF officer Kodai Murata on charges including unlawful entry into a building, violating the Firearms and Swords Control Law, and intimidation over his knife-wielding intrusion into the Chinese Embassy in Japan, CCTV News reported on Monday.

Global Times