Chinese Embassy Urges Japan to Punish Murata Akihiro Severely

Chinese embassy responds as Murata Akihiro’s knife attack case goes to trial, urges Japan to take due action and punish the perpetrator severely

By Asia Brief newsroom · Published October 1, 2026 · 1 min read

Photo by Jose Daniel Araneta Domingo on Pexels

What changed

Tokyo District Court held the first public hearing on October 1 in the case involving Murata Akihiro, a former Japanese Self-Defense Forces official accused of illegally entering the Chinese Embassy in Japan with a knife.

On the same day, the Chinese embassy demanded severe punishment, a full investigation and corrective action.

Why it matters

The case now has two linked tracks: a criminal proceeding in Tokyo and a diplomatic dispute between China and Japan. The embassy says the incident threatened the safety of Chinese diplomatic personnel and the security of the embassy itself, and it invoked the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

That makes the court’s handling important beyond Murata’s individual case. China is pressing Japan to show that the incident will be treated as a serious breach involving a diplomatic mission, not simply as an isolated criminal charge.

The court’s findings, any sentence and possible measures by the Japanese government have not yet been reported.

Analysis Perspective

Sources (1)

中新网时政新闻Chinese embassy responds as Murata Akihiro’s knife attack case goes to trial, urges Japan to take due action and punish the perpetrator severely

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