Japan's "regret" over embassy intrusion "far from enough": spokesman

Japan has expressed regret for the intrusion into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, but this is far from enough, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday, urging Japan to conduct a thorough investigation and give a responsible response.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Lin Jian, the spokesman, responded to a query about the incident, in which a Self-Defense Forces (SDF) second-lieutenant was arrested on suspicion of trespassing after illegally breaking into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo earlier this week.

Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said earlier Friday it was deeply regrettable that the incident occurred. Meanwhile, Japanese media reported that the intruder haD no intention to harm any person.

"More and more facts have come to light. The lawbreaker, a lieutenant in Japan's SDF, carrying a knife measuring 31 centimeters in length, chose embassy staff commuting hours to scale the wall to break into the Chinese embassy and hid in the bushes for a long time. We cannot help but ask, who was he waiting for by setting such an ambush? What did he plan to do? Japan hasn't offered any explanation on these questions yet," Lin said.

"On hearing this incident, the Japanese right-wing activists still tried to whitewash the identity of the intruder, claiming that this individual could not be an SDF member, but they were proven wrong. The Japanese side has expressed regret to China over this incident, but this is far from enough. We once again urge the Japanese side to promptly conduct a thorough investigation and give China a responsible response," he said.

A spectacular sight has unfolded along the Dongping Lake in east China, where thousands of migrating wild cormorants have swooped in and come to rest, with the birds each perched atop man-made installations in the water.

Forming orderly rows with almost military-like precision as they each sit on their own individual pole protruding above the water surface, the cormorants appear like watchful "sentinels" quietly guarding the shore.

Serving as an important stopover along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway -- one of the natural world's great migration events -- Dongping Lake's unique aquatic environment and abundant food resources make it an ideal habitat for migratory birds during their mammoth journey.

As the second largest freshwater lake in the eastern Shandong Province, the lake provides a safe haven for over 300,000 waterbirds that stop over, settle, or overwinter here each year.