Beijing questions Japan's training for defense officers

The Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday the training provided by Japan's Self-Defense Forces to its officers deserves scrutiny and serious reflection, as an officer carried a knife when breaking into the Chinese embassy in Japan recently.

At a daily news conference in Beijing, a reporter mentioned media reports that said Kodai Murata, the officer, had been handed over to prosecutors by Japan's police this week.

In response, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the incident reveals "the deep-rooted influence and grave hazards of Japan's right-wing thinking and distorted historical views".

On March 24, Murata broke into the Chinese embassy and threatened to kill Chinese diplomats in "the name of god".

Mao noted that the officer's parents said he showed no radical tendency when growing up and studying in his hometown, and they had no idea why he broke into the embassy and threatened diplomats.

"This individual underwent a nine-month training program by the Self-Defense Forces for potential officers. During this process, what kind of thinking was instilled in him, and what kind of training did the Self-Defense Forces provide? This warrants great attention, investigation and serious reflection," Mao said.

According to media reports, the National Defense Academy of Japan has an annual "tradition" of paying a group visit to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals.

Umio Otsuka, a retired senior officer of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, was appointed chief priest of Yasukuni Shrine in 2024.

"This marks the first time a retired Self-Defense Forces admiral has assumed the highest position at Yasukuni Shrine," Mao said.

"In a long period of time, the Self-Defense Forces invited radical right-wingers with extreme anti-China sentiments to participate in teaching, and their training materials are rife with content that distorts and glorifies Japan's history of aggression during World War II," she added.

The spokeswoman said the rise of right-wing tendency within Japan's Self-Defense Forces and Japan's remilitarization "deserve high vigilance from the international community".

"China once again urges Japan to thoroughly investigate the incident and take effective measures to address the root causes and prevent such incidents from happening again," she said.