00:00The first public hearing in the case involving a former Japanese military officer who broke
00:06into the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo has brought the incident back into the spotlight.
00:11Our correspondent Bruno Fauci has the details.
00:16Greetings comrades, from here, Beijing.
00:19The Chinese Embassy in Tokyo has called on Japanese authorities to punish the former
00:25military officer accused of breaking into the Chinese diplomatic mission in Tokyo while
00:32armed, following the first public hearing in the case this Thursday.
00:38The incident occurred on March 24, when Kodai Murata, then a second lieutenant on active duty
00:47with Japan's ground self-defense force, climbed a barbed wire fence and entered the embassy
00:55carrying a knife.
00:57According to the Chinese Embassy, he threatened to kill diplomatic personnel.
01:03Murata admitted in court that he had illegally entered the embassy and violated Japan's
01:11weapon law, but denied the charge of threatening Chinese diplomatic personnel.
01:18Meanwhile, following the hearing, a Chinese Embassy spokesperson described the incident as
01:25a serious violation of China's sovereignty and dignity, as well as of the Vienna Convention
01:33on Diplomatic Relations, and said it posed a serious threat to the safety of Chinese diplomats
01:42and the security of diplomatic premises.
01:46The spokesperson also said the case exposed problems related to the activities of right-wing
01:54forces in Japan and the supervision and discipline of members of the self-defense forces.
02:03China called on Japan to conduct a through-hold investigation, take corrective measures, severally
02:12punish the perpetrator and provide a responsible explanation of the incident.
02:21With this information from here in the capital of China, we return with you to the studios.
