China again urges Japan to fully probe intruder into Chinese embassy

China once again urges the Japanese side to immediately and thoroughly investigate the incident in which an individual broke into the Chinese Embassy in Japan, punish the perpetrator and fully account for the incident, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday.

Lin told media at a regular press briefing that the Chinese Embassy in Japan is coordinating with the Japanese police on follow-up measures and that the intruder has been handed over to the police.

Information verified and released by the Japanese police shows that the individual was a serving second lieutenant in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces who carried an 18-centimeter knife and scaled the wall to break into the embassy, Lin said.

China has made solemn representations to the Japanese side in both Beijing and Tokyo, expressing strong dissatisfaction, the spokesperson said, stressing that the incident has seriously endangered the safety of embassy staff, disrupted the peace of the embassy premises, and undermined the dignity of the embassy.

This incident also demonstrates that Japan has failed to earnestly fulfill its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and its special responsibility to protect the inviolability of diplomatic missions and diplomatic representatives, Lin said.