China on Friday urged Japan to investigate and take responsibility for terror threats against the Chinese embassy, citing ongoing harassment and provocations of its diplomatic missions.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a routing press briefing in Beijing. "In recent years, there has been a constant stream of harassment and provocation against Chinese diplomatic missions in Japan, with recent incidents including a series of serious and egregious incidents such as an active-duty Self-Defense Force officer storming the embassy with a knife."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun at a press conference in Beijing, January 21, 2026. (Photo: VCG)

These successive incidents, with their egregious nature and impact, have exposed numerous deep-seated problems in Japan, including the rampant right-wing ideology and forces within the country, and the suppression of objective and rational voices, Guo said.

"The Japanese government's erroneous policies on major core issues such as history and China's Taiwan are deeply entrenched," Guo said, noting that correct historical education is severely lacking, and distorted historical perspectives are prevalent.

Japan's security policy is shifting toward an aggressive, expansionist, and dangerous direction. Japan has failed to manage and control its Self-Defense Forces, and there is a lack of internal management and training within these forces, Guo said.

Guo stressed that how to fundamentally resolve these problems and eradicate the underlying social conditions is a question that insightful individuals within Japan should seriously consider. "If such incidents are downplayed, or even if attention is diverted and facts are distorted, it will only exacerbate the situation, leading to more serious consequences and causing greater harm to the Japanese people."

The rise of Japan's "new militarism" will also threaten regional peace and stability, Guo said. "We once again urge Japan to reflect on its mistakes, thoroughly investigate and rectify them, and provide China with a responsible explanation."

(Edited by Intern Lu Mengjie)