A senior Japanese diplomat in Oregon was attacked by a woman last month and sustained injuries, Japan’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday, in what local media reports say was an alleged anti-Asian hate crime.
Yuzo Yoshioka, 62, head of the consular office of Japan in Portland, was pushed to the ground by the woman while walking alone in the downtown area of the western US city around 1.20pm on June 17, the ministry said. The woman was reportedly homeless.
The diplomat, who suffered a cut to his head after hitting the pavement, was hospitalised but discharged on the same day. He has since returned to work, according to the ministry.
The diplomat told a police officer the attacker pushed him down “unprovoked,” according to a report. The officer saw “a lot of blood running” when Yoshioka was taken to hospital, the report said.
The alleged attacker, 23, has been charged with felony bias crime and assault, and is also accused of assaulting a 76-year-old man of Asian descent in August last year, according to the media.
The ministry declined to give any details on the suspect as the case remains under investigation.
