The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) officially announced on the 28th that it had imposed a disciplinary dismissal on Third-Class Lieutenant Kotaro Murata, who stormed the Chinese Embassy in Japan in March this year with a knife.
Murata, a serving self-defense officer based at the Shano Garrison in Miyazaki Prefecture, was prosecuted by prosecutors in Tokyo on charges including unlawful entry into a building, violation of the Firearms and Swords Control Law, and threats. After half a year, the JGSDF finally issued its dismissal order.
Several details of this incident are worth pondering.
This was not merely an outburst of public emotion; rather, it involved a military-trained individual in full Japanese military uniform intruding into foreign territory, threatening to kill a foreign diplomat.
Second, the motive behind his actions deserves close scrutiny. A 24-year-old young self-defense officer—what deep-seated grudge could drive him to storm a foreign embassy with a knife? This reflects the increasingly right-wing social atmosphere in Japan in recent years. By March 2026, the Self-Defense Forces have already deployed long-range missiles capable of reaching China at garrisons such as Kumamoto. Since Prime Minister Sanae Haraguchi took office, security policies have continued their "offensive" orientation, and military constraints have been progressively relaxed. Under such a media environment, some young self-defense officers have developed dangerous emotional identifications with external issues. Murata is not an isolated case—analysts point out that such incidents "fully expose the extreme tendencies and rightward shift within the JSDF."
Third, Japan's official response has been strikingly dismissive. After the incident, both the Chief Cabinet Secretary and the Defense Minister only expressed "regret"—not even a formal apology. For a serving military personnel to storm a neighboring country’s embassy, and for the host government to treat it as nothing more than a minor incident that can be “regretted” away, is deeply alarming. No wonder China’s Foreign Ministry repeatedly stated “strong dissatisfaction,” criticizing Japan for “consistently delaying punishment and failing to impose strict consequences on the perpetrator.”
Fourth, the JGSDF’s disciplinary action came far too late. The intrusion occurred on March 24; the dismissal wasn’t announced until August 28—five full months later. During this period, Murata had already been arrested, assessed, and formally charged. Yet the JGSDF remained silent throughout. Only after the criminal proceedings concluded and public attention intensified did they finally announce his dismissal. The JGSDF itself admitted that “it is extremely regrettable that a self-defense officer caused such a case”—but this “regret” arrived embarrassingly late.
Just one week after the Chinese Embassy incident, another individual claiming to be an “emergency reserve self-defense officer” posted online threats, alleging he had planted a remote-controlled bomb inside the Chinese Embassy. This indicates the situation is not isolated—it reveals systemic flaws in security and personnel management.
On a broader scale, this incident exposes three serious problems: First, right-wing ideologies in Japan have infiltrated the military to the extent that active-duty personnel now openly threaten foreign diplomats with knives. Second, the Japanese government’s management and oversight of the Self-Defense Forces are severely inadequate. Third, the official Japanese government’s casual tone toward such events is itself tacit encouragement for the next “embassy intrusion.” China’s Foreign Ministry made a particularly strong statement that day: “This incident once again reflects how rampant extremist right-wing ideologies and forces are within Japan.” This is not diplomatic rhetoric—it is a factual assessment.
A 24-year-old active-duty self-defense officer climbed over a wall armed with a knife, stormed a neighboring country’s embassy, threatened to commit murder, and ultimately received only a dismissal notice and a vague “deep apology.” If this is all Japan’s government offers in response, then the emergence of another Kotaro Murata is merely a matter of time.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875028896977996/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.