TOKYO -- A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan on Tuesday once again urged the Japanese side to severely punish, in accordance with the law, the perpetrator who forcibly entered the embassy compound, and not to seek to absolve him of responsibility, saying that the facts of the case are clear and the evidence is conclusive and undeniable.
The spokesperson made the remarks in response to questions regarding the second court hearing in the case of Kodai Murata, a former Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) officer who was dismissed after allegedly breaking into the Chinese Embassy in Japan while carrying a knife in March this year.
The Tokyo District Court held the second court hearing in the case on Tuesday. Prosecutors sought 18 months in prison for Murata, while his defense counsel requested that he be sentenced to a fine.
The spokesperson said that an active-duty SDF officer's act of breaking into the Chinese Embassy with a knife and making violent threats gravely infringes upon China's sovereignty and dignity, and severely endangers the personal safety of Chinese diplomatic staff and the security of the diplomatic premises.
It constitutes a serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and exposes a host of deep-seated problems in Japan, including the rampant spread of right-wing influence and inadequate management and discipline of SDF personnel, the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson said China urges the Japanese side to reflect on and correct its mistakes through concrete actions, conduct a thorough investigation, implement corrective measures, and provide a responsible explanation to China and the international community.
