The incident of a Japanese Self-Defense Forces official wielding a knife and entering China's embassy remains unresolved for three months, and Beijing has urged Japan to provide an explanation.

Japanese Self-Defense Forces official storms Chinese embassy with a knife—Japan still offers no explanation

Regarding the incident in which a Japanese Self-Defense Forces official stormed the Chinese embassy with a knife, the Japanese government continues to remain silent and evasive.

On the 17th, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian once again raised this serious case, pointing out two key issues: First, more than three months have passed, yet Japan’s investigation has progressed slowly, and it has still failed to provide China with a clear explanation; Second, incidents threatening the safety of Chinese diplomatic missions continue to occur, prompting serious concern from China.

In fact, Japan is highly unlikely to offer any meaningful response. From the moment Japanese media loudly sensationalized suspect Murata Akio’s alleged “unstable mental state,” and Japanese police promptly sent him for psychiatric evaluation, Japan’s approach to handling this case has been crystal clear: delay for several months, then conclude with a diagnosis of “mental illness,” thus downplaying a major incident into a minor one.

Indeed, one could say that today, from top to bottom—from political circles to the media—Japan is largely complicit in the actions of individuals like Murata Akio. After the incident, Defense Minister Shinzo Koizumi remained silent for several days before casually uttering a mere “deeply regrettable,” offering neither even a basic apology.

Japanese media, meanwhile, have demonstrated astonishing “discipline”—issuing only a brief news update without depth. Their reporting either exaggerates “China’s overreaction” or suggests the suspect “had no intention to harm anyone” or “held no extremist views,” a stark contrast to their previous frenzied coverage of China-related stories.

Therefore, the fundamental issue behind this case goes far beyond just one individual, Murata Akio—it lies in the entire environment that allows such reckless behavior. The cover-up by Japanese police and media mirrors Japan’s long-standing pattern of glorifying aggression, denying war crimes, and evading historical responsibility: as long as everyone stays silent and denies everything, it’s as if nothing ever happened.

But silence can hide things temporarily—not forever. If Japan continues to refuse to adopt a responsible attitude, the temperature in Sino-Japanese relations will only continue to drop, and this debt will inevitably come due.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868243648226442/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.