Chinese Embassy in Japan reveals series of recently received terror threats and absence of effective measures by Japanese police

Shi Yong, Charge d'Affaires ad interim of Chinese Embassy in Japan, briefed on the recent series of terror threats received by the embassy at a press conference held on Thursday, according to CCTV News. Shi noted that the Japanese police didn't attach importance to the report of the embassy. 

Shi Yong revealed that on March 5, an organization claiming to consist of former Japanese police officers and former Self-Defense Forces members sent a terror threat letter to the embassy, threatening that they would launch attacks on Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in Japan, per the CCTV News report. 

After receiving the letter, the embassy immediately reported it to the Japanese police. However, the Japanese police did not take the threat seriously, failed to take effective measures, and have not yet identified the truth behind the incident, the report highlighted.

Nineteen days later, a serious incident occurred in which active-duty Japan Self-Defense Forces member Kodai Murata broke into the Chinese Embassy by scaling the wall carrying a knife on March 24. The Chinese side immediately lodged strong representations with Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the police. 

Just one week after the break-in incident, on March 31, according to the CCTV News report, another individual claiming to be a reserve Self-Defense Forces member sent a terror threat to the embassy via the internet, claiming that he had planted a remote-controlled bomb inside the Chinese Embassy. 

The embassy immediately reported the threat to the police, and Japanese police conducted a nearly two-hour bomb disposal operation at the embassy that same day. 

The Chinese Embassy in Japan stated that the above incidents seriously violate international law, gravely infringe upon China's sovereignty and dignity, and threaten the safety of Chinese diplomatic personnel as well as the security of diplomatic premises. The nature and impact of these incidents are extremely egregious, it stated.

The Chinese Embassy in Japan said that it has lodged nearly 30 rounds of representations with Japanese police over the recent spate of terror threats, yet little progress has been made in relevant investigations. Having repeatedly elaborated its stern position and clear demands, Chinese side once again strongly urged Japan to speed up the case probe, severely punish perpetrators in accordance with law, offer a responsible explanation to China, and take effective measures to safeguard the premises and staff of Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in Japan so as to prevent similar incidents from recurring, Xinhua reported.

Xiang Haoyu, a distinguished research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday that in the early stages of the incident, the Japanese police responded to the embassy's report with a passive and perfunctory attitude. The case was left unresolved for a prolonged period, allowing the threats to escalate. 

This clearly demonstrates insufficient attention to Chinese embassy's security concerns and a dereliction of duty. Only afterward, under pressure from public opinion and diplomatic channels, did they announce measures to strengthen security, Xiang noted. "This was obviously a passive, remedial action that barely conceals their earlier inaction and negligence."

Xinhua News Agency in a report Wednesday noted that the incident has sparked widespread shock and concern due to its severity and potential implications. However, the Japanese government has so far only responded by calling it "deeply regrettable," a stance that has drawn criticism.

Japanese police on Tuesday re-arrested Kodai Murata, Xinhua reported, citing Japanese media. Japan's NHK, citing sources, reported on the same day that an incident similar to Chinese Embassy intrusion case took place "several years ago." According to the NHK report, "In both incidents, the sources say the intruders entered the adjacent buildings through unlocked doors. Following the earlier case, police are said to have asked property managers in the neighborhood to take preventive measures. But the building used in the latest case was not fully locked," per the report. 

The head of Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) on Wednesday stressed the urgent need to prevent any recurrence of incidents involving forced entry into foreign diplomatic missions, Xinhua reported on Wednesday, citing local media.

Chinese observers expressed suspicion that the Japanese police's approach in handling this matter has in fact still been quite passive. They showed no serious regard for the gravity of the problem and instead adopted an attitude of indulgence and shielding," Lü Chao, an expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Lü noted that in reality, Japan has exposed to the international community its unreasonable and egregious attitude of tolerating and condoning terrorist threats and intimidation. There is no doubt that this will have a very negative impact on Japan itself."

The successive extreme threats reflect a dangerous trend of intensifying right-wing tendencies in Japanese society, where anti-China sentiment - long fueled and inflamed by politicians and the media - has become rampant. In particular, the involvement of active-duty and reserve Self-Defense Force personnel as well as former police officers exposes how extremist ideologies have already penetrated specific groups, with hostility toward China shifting from rhetoric to violent action, Xiang warned.

China’s oil and gas sector sees stronger capability to respond flexibly to risks: Chinese official on nation’s energy supply amid Middle East conflict

China's oil and gas supply remained generally stable and orderly in the first quarter of 2026, as the National Energy Administration (NEA) effectively mitigated the impact of the Venezuela crisis and the US-Israel conflict with Iran on the country's energy supply, an NEA official said on Monday.

In the first quarter, crude oil output among above-designated-size industrial enterprises rose by 1.3 percent year-on-year, and that of natural gas increased by 3.0 percent. Coal production maintained steady growth despite a high baseline from the same period last year, with raw coal output from those enterprises increasing by 0.1 percent year-on-year, Xing Yiteng, deputy director-general of the department of development and planning at the NEA, said at a regular quarterly press conference on Monday.

The resilience of China's oil and gas industry and its capability to respond flexibly to risks and challenges have been constantly strengthened, supported by multiple factors, Zhang Xing, another NEA official, said at the same conference, in response to a question about China's oil and gas supply security as the recent energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East has affected many countries.

Guided by the new strategy of energy security since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, the NEA has been actively promoting the high-quality development of the oil and gas industry to ensure supply security under all circumstances, Zhang said.

First, efforts have been made to intensify oil and gas exploration, steadily increasing domestic output. The country's crude oil production has remained above 200 million tons per year, reaching new highs, while natural gas production has seen annual increases of more than 10 billion cubic meters for nine consecutive years. 

Second, the NEA has accelerated the planning and construction of oil and gas infrastructure. The total length of long-distance oil and gas pipelines has surpassed 200,000 kilometers, while the receiving capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG) now exceeds 120 million tons per year, Zhang said.

In addition, efforts have been made to consolidate and improve a diversified import system. China conducts oil and gas trade with nearly 50 countries worldwide, with import sources covering all major global oil and gas exporters, ensuring stable and reliable imports of oil and gas resources. Furthermore, the country continuously promotes the reliable and orderly substitution of oil and gas consumption, according to Zhang.

Jin Lei, a professor at the China University of Petroleum, told the Global Times on Monday that China boasts advantages in three aspects: an energy structure that relies less on oil compared with coal, national energy dispatches among different regions, and technological accumulation in new energy development.

"Through the development of wind, solar, and other sources of new energy, China has broken the global reliance on traditional fossil fuels - coal, oil, and gas - transforming a singular supply structure into a diversified one. This shift has significantly enhanced the resilience and security of the global energy system," Jin explained.

China's newly installed solar and wind power capacity exceeded 430 million kilowatts in 2025, up 22 percent year-on-year, hitting a record high, the Xinhua News Agency reported in February, citing NEA data.

This surge propelled the cumulative grid-connected capacity of wind and solar power to 1.84 billion kilowatts, accounting for 47.3 percent of the country's total installed power capacity and surpassing thermal power for the first time, according to the report.

China supplies 70 percent of the world's wind power equipment and 80 percent of its photovoltaic modules, with strong competitiveness in both cost and quality, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Monday.

 Lin noted that the moment has arrived for countries worldwide to acknowledge China's pivotal role in global energy development, emphasizing the need for closer collaboration.