Japanese public figures urge govt to apologize over intrusion into embassy

Following the forcible intrusion by an active-duty Self-Defense Forces officer into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo earlier this week, Japanese public figures have urged the government to take the incident more seriously, move beyond its current stance of expressing mere "regret," and formally apologize to China while conducting a thorough investigation to hold those responsible accountable.



Yujin Fuse, a veteran Japanese military journalist, said responsibility for the incident lies entirely with the Japanese side, and that Japan should acknowledge fault and apologize to China, warning that refusing to do so may further aggravate the situation.



Seiko Mimaki, a professor at Japan's Doshisha University, noted that as a signatory to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Japan is obligated to prevent intrusions and damage to foreign diplomatic missions, and should respond honestly to its failure to adequately protect the Chinese embassy in this case.



Ignoring this responsibility and prioritizing "not giving China grounds for criticism" would ultimately damage Japan's international credibility, she warned.



Yoichi Jomaru, a former journalist with Japan's Asahi Shimbun, questioned whether the Japanese government intends to close the matter simply by calling the incident "deeply regrettable."



"Logically speaking, at the very least, the defense minister or the foreign minister should come forward to apologize," he said. "Is the government deliberately allowing relations between the two countries to worsen further?"