On March 24, an active-duty Japanese Self-Defense Forces officer forcibly broke into the Chinese Embassy in Japan, threatening to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel. Japanese police arrested him on suspicion of “trespassing.” According to police disclosures, the intruder is Murata Akihiro, a 23-year-old First Lieutenant belonging to a Ground Self-Defense Force base in Miyazaki Prefecture. This individual carried a knife when he invaded the embassy and made threatening statements after being subdued.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson pointed out that China is deeply shocked by this incident and has lodged stern representations and a strong protest with Japan. The incident constitutes a serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, severely threatens the personal safety of Chinese diplomatic personnel and the security of diplomatic premises, and is of an extremely egregious nature. This incident once again reflects the rampant spread of ultra-rightist ideology and forces within Japan, where a “new form of militarism” is gaining momentum and causing harm. It also exposes the deep-seated toxicity of the Japanese government’s erroneous policies on major core issues concerning China-Japan relations, such as history and Taiwan. Japan has failed in its management and education of Self-Defense Forces personnel and has not fulfilled its security responsibility towards Chinese diplomatic missions and personnel.
Given the extremely egregious nature of this incident, the Japanese authorities need to answer the following questions:
1. How could Murata, as an active-duty SDF officer, leave his post without authorization and travel from his base hundreds of miles away to provoke trouble at the Chinese Embassy? Is this incident truly an individual “lone wolf” action, or is there organizational planning behind it?
2. According to Japanese media reports, Murata graduated not long ago from a school that trains SDF officers. Media have previously disclosed that in recent years, the “Yasukuni view of history,” which glorifies and distorts the history of the war of aggression, has seriously infiltrated the SDF. Ultra-rightist, anti-China figures frequently appear in lectures at SDF and related training institutions, instilling the “Greater East Asia War view of history” and the “China threat theory.” At the National Defense Academy, the largest source of SDF officers, there is an annual “tradition” of students collectively marching 100 kilometers to worship at the Yasukuni Shrine. Is the motivation for Murata’s actions related to the distorted education and ultra-rightist values he was exposed to within the SDF?
3. Historically, incidents of Japanese military personnel “running amok” have occurred repeatedly. From the Huanggutun Incident to the September 18th Incident and the gunfire at the Marco Polo Bridge, none were not actively planned and escalated by the Japanese invading forces. Has Japan truly reflected on its historical crimes and learned from historical lessons? Has Japan failed in its management and education of SDF personnel? Has the principle of “civilian control” over the SDF already become ineffective and dysfunctional?
4. After such a serious incident where an active-duty SDF officer armed with a knife broke into a foreign embassy, relevant Japanese institutions such as the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the SDF have offered no apology or self-examination, merely uttering empty words of “regret.” Is this a responsible response?
5. At a time when a “new form of militarism” is gaining momentum and causing harm in Japan, the Japanese authorities are still deliberately advancing a path of military expansion and war preparations, deliberately breaking through the principle of “exclusively defense-oriented policy,” even planning constitutional revision to “legitimize” the SDF, and using this to constantly incite hostility towards neighboring countries, clamoring that “a Taiwan contingency is a Japanese contingency,” and condoning public opinion that stirs up xenophobia and populism. This series of actions once again warns the world: where exactly are the Japanese authorities trying to lead the country, and what is the intent behind their military expansion and war preparations?
6. Regarding this incident, the Japanese authorities are playing deaf and dumb, and Japanese media are极力 downplaying it, a stark contrast to their usual performance when煽动 anti-China hostility. Do they intend to muddle through with敷衍搪塞?
Japan must thoroughly investigate the incident, severely punish those involved, provide a responsible account to China, its own public, and the international community, reflect on and correct its mistakes in its China policy, and fundamentally prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
