TOKYO, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Tokyo District Court on Thursday held the first hearing in open court in the trial of Kodai Murata, a former Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) officer accused of forcibly entering the Chinese Embassy in Japan.
Japanese prosecutors have indicted him on charges including unlawful entry and threatening embassy staff.
According to Kyodo News, Murata admitted at the court hearing to the charges of trespassing and violating the firearms and swords control law, but his defense team argued that his alleged threats against embassy staff did not constitute a crime.
On March 24, Murata, then an active-duty second lieutenant in the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), allegedly scaled a barbed-wire wall and broke into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo carrying a knife. He threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel and was later arrested by the police.
In August, the GSDF dismissed Murata.
The Chinese Embassy in Japan has lodged solemn representations and a strong protest with the Japanese side, demanding that Japan provide a responsible explanation.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has also urged the Japanese side to earnestly fulfill its duty to severely punish the perpetrator, conduct a thorough investigation and correct the wrongdoings.
So far, however, the Japanese side has only expressed that the incident was "regrettable," without offering an apology. ■
