{
  "id": 15587709,
  "title": "PLA hits out at Chinese student accused of wearing Japanese rising sun flag in classroom",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/pla-hits-out-at-chinese-student-accused-of-wearing-japanese-rising-15587709",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-19T09:07:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371379/pla-hits-out-chinese-student-accused-wearing-japanese-rising-sun-flag-classroom"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has strongly criticized a Chinese student for wearing a Japanese rising sun flag during a history class at Moscow State University. The PLA described the incident as \"egregious\" and \"shocking,\" stating that advocating for militarism is an offence against human conscience. According to the Global Times, a newspaper owned by the party mouthpiece People's Daily, the student, identified as Chen, was from Nanjing, the site of a notorious Japanese wartime atrocity in China. He allegedly brought a 1930s Japanese military cap into the classroom and draped the flag over himself. The Chinese Students and Scholars Association at Moscow State University raised the incident with the university and the Chinese embassy, and an internal investigation was launched. Two Chinese-language videos of the student apologizing have gone viral, with the student admitting his actions were \"wrong\" and pledging to promote a deeper understanding of the Nanking massacre. The controversy has been fueled by recent remarks from Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has called for reflection on Japan's wartime record and suggested a Taiwan Strait crisis could be a \"survival-threatening situation.\"",
  "summary": "The People’s Liberation Army has criticised a Chinese student who reportedly wore the Japanese rising sun flag in a classroom at a Russian university, accusing him of whitewashing Japanese militarism. The flag, which is still used by the Self-Defence Forces, is widely seen as a symbol of Japanese militarism and aggression in many countries, including China. “Regardless of which country or campus…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "PLA hits out at Chinese student accused of wearing Japanese rising sun flag in classroom",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/pla-hits-out-at-chinese-student-accused-of-wearing-japanese-rising",
        "published": "2026-10-19T09:07:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}