TOKYO - Japanese police on Sunday searched the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) base where Kodai Murata is stationed, as well as his residence, on suspicion of unlawful entry, after he was arrested for forcibly entering the Chinese embassy in Japan on Tuesday, according to Kyodo News.

Murata, 23, is a second lieutenant in the Japan Ground SDF, stationed at Camp Ebino in Miyazaki prefecture. 

Citizens demands govt apology

In Saturday evening, hundreds of Japanese citizens gathered in Shinjuku, a bustling district in Tokyo, holding placards and demanding that the government apologize to China following the forcible intrusion into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo.

Participants held signs and chanted slogans including "Apologize for the SDF officer's terrible act," "Take responsibility for the terrible incident," and "We apologize to China on behalf of the government," directing their calls at the Japanese government and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

According to the Chinese embassy in Japan, a man claiming to be "an active-duty officer of the Japan SDF" forcibly broke into the embassy by climbing over a wall on Tuesday morning, threatening to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel.

The embassy has lodged solemn representations and a strong protest with the Japanese side, demanding that Japan provide a responsible explanation.

So far, the Japanese government has only expressed that the incident was "regrettable," without offering an apology or announcing specific accountability measures.

Public figures urge govt to apologize 

Japanese public figures have also 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?"