Japan and China blamed each other for the recent detention of a Japanese diplomat in Beijing amid growing tensions between the two countries. On Feb. 23, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had lodged a strong protest over the detention of one of its diplomats in Beijing and demanded an apology. It emphasized that the detention violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that guarantees the immunity of diplomats from civil and criminal jurisdiction of the host nation. “The person of a diplomatic agent shall be inviolable,” says Article 29 of the convention. “He shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention. The receiving State shall treat him with due respect and shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom, or dignity.” The diplomat was seized while carrying out his legitimate duties, according to the ministry. The detention lasted several hours. …