Overview
- Embassy staff detained a man who climbed the wall into China’s Tokyo mission Tuesday morning, with police later taking custody after staff reported threats to kill diplomats and a knife was found nearby.
- Tokyo police are questioning the suspect, and investigators accused him of trespassing Tuesday night with no injuries reported in the incident.
- The man claimed to be a member of Japan’s Self‑Defense Forces and carried what looked like an SDF ID card, which police are working to verify.
- China lodged a strong protest and cited the Vienna Convention that requires host countries to protect embassies, while urging Japan to investigate, punish any wrongdoing, and bolster security for Chinese missions.
- Chinese officials framed the case as part of rising far‑right sentiment in Japan, and the episode lands in a period of strained ties after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s November remarks about a possible response to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.