China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, at a routine briefing, commented
on reports that on Oct. 1 the Tokyo District Court held a first public hearing
for Murata Akihiro, who illegally entered the Chinese embassy in Tokyo. Mao said
an active-duty Japan Self-Defense Forces officer entered the embassy armed with
a knife and issued violent threats to Chinese diplomatic staff, calling the
incident an unprecedented, serious breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic
Relations that gravely endangered personnel and embassy premises. She said the
episode exposed deep-seated problems, including the rise of right-wing forces
and lax discipline among SDF personnel, and whether Japan handles the case
lawfully will test its fulfillment of international obligations and affect its
national credibility and international image. China again urged Japan to
severely punish the perpetrator as a deterrent.
