A second lieutenant in Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) was arrested Tuesday after scaling the wall of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, entering the compound with a knife, and threatening to kill diplomatic personnel, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
Kodai Murata, 23, assigned to GSDF Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture, breached the embassy at approximately 9 a.m. Embassy staff detained him on the premises before handing him over to Tokyo police, who were not notified until around noon. Japanese police maintain round-the-clock security at the compound.
Murata told investigators he entered to “convey his opinions to the ambassador,” and that if those thoughts were rejected, “I was planning to surprise them by taking my own life,” the Metropolitan Police Department said. A knife was recovered from shrubbery near the breach point. No embassy personnel were injured.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press briefing in Beijing that the individual “admitted that his actions were illegal and threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the so-called name of God.”
Lin described the incident as “extremely malicious and posed a serious threat to the safety of Chinese diplomats,” and said it reflected “the rampant spread of far-right thinking and forces in Japan.”
This morning, a man who claimed himself to be a sitting officer of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces broke into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo and threatened to kill Chinese diplomats. China is deeply shocked and has lodged strong protests with Japan.
This egregious incident is a… pic.twitter.com/vlfrfAjQl8
— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) March 24, 2026
Beijing lodged a formal protest with Tokyo, calling the incident a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and demanding Japan “immediately carry out a thorough investigation, severely punish those responsible and provide a responsible account to the Chinese side.”
The GSDF called the arrest of one of its members “very regrettable,” adding it would cooperate fully with police and handle the matter “strictly,” proceeding “based on facts.” A second lieutenant holds the lowest officer rank within the GSDF.
Japan’s Defense Ministry told Asahi Shimbun it was “currently confirming the facts.” The National Police Agency has not publicly addressed the notification delay.
Bilateral ties between the two countries have deteriorated since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said last November that a Chinese military action against Taiwan could constitute “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan, prompting Beijing to impose export restrictions, reinstate a ban on Japanese seafood imports, and repeatedly demand a retraction.
