Japan conveys regrets to China after arrest of soldier over alleged break-in at Chinese embassy

Japan said Wednesday it conveyed regrets to China after authorities confirmed they arrested a Japanese army soldier on suspicion of trespass, a day after China protested over an alleged break-in at its embassy in Tokyo. The case, the latest point of friction in an escalating spat between Japan and China, surfaced Tuesday after Beijing protested to Tokyo.

An individual who claimed to be a Japan Self-Defense Forces officer scaled the wall and forced his way into the embassy compound on Tuesday morning, Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a news conference in Beijing.

The Tokyo police on Wednesday told The Associated Press that they arrested a 23-year-old member of the Ground Self-Defense Force, or Japan’s army, in the alleged trespassing into the Chinese embassy on Tuesday.

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