Ex-GSDF member admits trespassing at Chinese embassy in Tokyo
A former Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force member admitted to trespassing at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo in March, during the first court hearing of his trial at Tokyo District Court on Thursday.
According to the indictment, Kodai Murata, 24, entered the embassy grounds on March 24 carrying a kitchen knife with an 18-centimeter blade. The former second lieutenant reportedly handed embassy staff a piece of paper saying, “A distinguished Japanese citizen will execute you on behalf of deities.”
During the court hearing, Murata said that he believed the Chinese government’s diplomatic stance was heavy-handed and should be corrected.
He claimed that he decided to intrude on the embassy after dreaming that a deity told him that China underestimates Japan and urged him to “go and confront them.”
The defense plans to dispute the charge of threatening.
At the time of the incident, Murata belonged to the GSDF’s Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan. He was dismissed for disciplinary reasons in August.
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