Prosecutors sought 18 months in prison on Tuesday for a former Self-Defense Forces officer accused of entering the Chinese embassy with a knife and threatening a staff member, a case that has put the guarding of foreign missions in Tokyo under scrutiny.
The defendant, Akinori Murata, 24, a former third-class sergeant in the Ground Self-Defense Force, is charged with intruding into the embassy in March while carrying a kitchen knife and intimidating an embassy employee.
Prosecutors said Murata told the employee that "patriots of Japan will slay you on behalf of the gods of Japan," according to the charge.
Arguments at the close of the trial
In closing arguments on Tuesday, prosecutors said the case "could seriously affect diplomacy" and asked for a fixed-term prison sentence of 18 months, the category Japan introduced in 2025 to replace imprisonment with forced labor.
The defense argued that Murata had no intention of harming anyone and that a fine would be appropriate.
Murata apologized in his final statement, saying he wanted to offer his apologies again to those who were harmed.
The court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on the 24th of next month.