On March 24, police arrested a 23-year-old male member of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force for allegedly trespassing into the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.

The police said the GSDF's second lieutenant has told investigators he wanted to express his views to the Chinese ambassador.

The suspect, who is stationed at the Ebino garrison in Miyazaki Prefecture, is believed to have traveled to Tokyo the day before the incident.

He was apprehended by Chinese Embassy staff, and a knife believed to have been brought by the suspect was found in shrubbery on the premises.

Police said the suspect has admitted that he intruded into the embassy and explained he wanted to tell the ambassador that he wanted China to refrain from taking a hardline stance toward Japan.

He has also told police that if the ambassador did not accept his opinions, he was planning to kill himself using the knife.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman said the country lodged a strong protest with Japan over the matter, saying such act seriously threatens the safety of Chinese diplomats.

The spokesman added that the incident highlights how militarism is gaining momentum and causing harm in Japan.