China said Friday that the Chinese police officers who seized five North Korean asylum seekers inside the Japanese consulate in Shenyang acted with the consent of Japanese consular officials, disputing Japan's claim that they entered the diplomatic mission without consent.
The Japanese Embassy denied the claim in a statement later in the day.
As the diplomatic row intensified, a team of Japanese diplomats arrived in Shenyang on Saturday to begin to investigate the incident.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said the Chinese police officers who seized the North Korean men inside the visa section of the consulate had entered the building and brought them out "with the consent of a deputy consul."