What in the world is China going to do with 5,000 tsubo — about four acres — of land in Niigata City? Build a new consulate general, it says. But that seems like an awful lot for a consulate in a regional city whose main activity since it initially opened has been issuance of commercial visas.
China's acquisition of such a large plot of land — a third again larger than its embassy in Tokyo — is raising suspicions. Masahisa Sato, a member of the Diet's House of Councilors and formerly an officer in the Ground Self-Defense Force, tells Shukan Post (June 15) that China two years ago passed a military mobilization law that obliges all citizens, including those living abroad, to serve the nation in time of war.
"Under the pretext of protecting Chinese nationals, the People's Liberation Army could use this to justify entering other countries," says Sato. "In the event of a crisis between Japan and China, the Niigata consulate could even be turned into a military fortress — and that's unacceptable.