April 29, 2026

Japan's recent acts are particularly reckless and disturbing. When Akihiro Murata, a second lieutenant in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JSDF), scaled the wall of the Chinese Embassy in Japan with a knife and threatened to kill Chinese diplomats on March 24, Japanese police stationed around the embassy failed to take notice, much less take action to stop the perpetrator. Yet when a 64-year-old man from the Republic of Korea (ROK) staged a peaceful protest at the Yasukuni Shrine on April 22, he was swiftly arrested by the police.

Though seemingly unrelated on the surface, these two incidents strike a stark contrast that is ironically chilling and thought-provoking, laying bare the double standards of the Japanese authorities. It is further evidence of the rampant rise of neo-militarism in Japan.

Zero tolerance for peaceful protest; kid gloves for violent intruder

The elderly man from the ROK was merely an ordinary civilian. Unarmed throughout, he just hung a few banners and expressed views peacefully at the shrine, confronting no one and causing no damage. Police arrived within minutes and apprehended him on the charge of "obstructing shrine rituals." The Japanese authorities made a big fanfare of their "swift and strict law enforcement," widely covering it in local media as if a dangerous criminal had been caught.

Read more:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-04-29/Japan-s-double-standards-on-full-display-1MJr1qt4FH2/p.html