ISLAMABAD: China said it was “deeply shocked” after a Japanese soldier broke into its embassy in Japan, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to the Chinese state broadcaster, the person climbed over a wall to enter the compound.

The spokesperson said that China lodged “solemn representations” and a protest with Japan over the incident.

Meanwhile, local Japanese media reported that the man, in his 20s, entered the Chinese embassy grounds in Tokyo’s Minato ward at around 9 a.m. local time. He was restrained by embassy staff and handed to the city’s metropolitan police.

The man is believed to be a member of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and threatened to kill a diplomat, local Japanese media reported.

Investigators said the man may have entered from the fourth floor of an adjacent building, local Japanese media reported. A knife believed to have been brought by the man was found inside the embassy grounds.

No injuries have been reported.

Relations between China and Japan deteriorated in 2026, marked by economic measures, military activity, and diplomatic tensions, according to AFP. The friction intensified following policy shifts after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s election.

Frosty relations
Relations between China and Japan have sharply deteriorated in 2026, marked by economic sanctions, military activity, and diplomatic tension. Tensions rose over Taiwan after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan could intervene militarily, and China criticized a March visit by Taiwan’s premier to Tokyo, the first such visit by a sitting premier since 1972, AFP reported.

Economic and military measures have also escalated. In February, China restricted exports from 40 Japanese companies and imposed tariffs on rubber products effective mid-March.

Meanwhile, Japan seized a Chinese fishing vessel in February and plans missile deployments in its southwest region and on Yonaguni Island. Coast guard standoffs continue near the disputed Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands, AFP reported.

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China lodges protest after Japanese soldier breaches embassy in Tokyo