China condemns outlaw's forcible entry into Chinese embassy in Japan

China is profoundly shocked that a man claiming to be an active-duty officer of the Japan Self-Defense Forces forcibly broke into the Chinese embassy in Japan by climbing over a wall in the morning, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing on Tuesday.

According to Lin, the man admitted that his act was illegal and he also threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the so-called "name of god."

Lin said that China has lodged solemn representations and a strong protest with the Japanese side.

Lin also pointed out that the incident is a serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and posed a grave threat to the safety and security of Chinese diplomatic personnel and facilities. 

"The incident is egregious in both nature and impact. The incident once again highlighted the danger of the rampant spread of far-right impact and neo-militarism in the country," said the spokesperson.

It also reveals the toxicity of the Japanese government's erroneous policies on vital issues concerning China-Japan relations such as history and Taiwan, and Japan's failure in maintaining discipline in SDF and in fulfilling its responsibility to protect the Chinese diplomatic and consular premises and personnel, Lin added.

He said the Chinese side urges the Japanese side to immediately conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, severely punish those involved, and provide a responsible explanation to China.

"The Japanese side must ensure the safety and security of Chinese diplomatic and consular premises and personnel, reflect on and correct its erroneous policies on China and get rid of the root cause for such incidents once and for all," said Lin.

The international community needs to stay on high alert against Japan's accelerating rightward turn and loss of control inside the rapidly expanding SDF, he added.

The Embassy of China in Japan Tuesday also lodged solemn representations and strong protests.

In terms of the report that Japan might downgrade its description of ties with China from "one of the most important" to instead describing China as an important neighbor and the relationship "strategic and mutually beneficial," Lin responded that the root cause of the current situation facing China-Japan relations is Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, which have sparked outrage from the Chinese people and tested the red line of the post-war international order.  

If the Japanese side truly wants to improve and develop relations with China, it needs to abide by the four political documents between China and Japan and its own commitments, retract the erroneous remarks on Taiwan as soon as possible, do soul-searching and correct its wrongdoings, and take concrete actions to uphold the political foundation of China-Japan relations, Lin stressed.

(With input from Xinhua)