Senior Japanese diplomat attacked by US woman in anti-Asian hate crime, court records say

Records say the suspect ‘jumped’ and ‘shoved’ the diplomat to the ground

Representational image: The Japanese diplomat suffered head injuries (REUTERS)

A 62-year-old Japanese diplomat in Oregon, US, was assaulted by a woman last month in a suspected hate crime, according to court records.

Yuzo Yoshioka, who serves as the head of the consular office of Japan in Portland, was attacked while he was walking alone in the downtown area around 1.20pm on 17 June.

The woman allegedly "jumped" and "shoved" the diplomat to the ground, court records show.

Mr Yoshioka was rushed to a hospital after suffering a cut to his head after hitting the pavement. However, he was discharged on the same day.

He has since returned to work, the Japanese foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

A Portland police officer who responded to the scene said the diplomat told him that his attacker had pushed him down "unprovoked". The officer “observed a lot of blood running down the back of the victim as they were assisted by medics on the gurney", according to Oregon Live.

The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Arissa Jean Minyonne Robinson, has been charged with fourth-degree assault, felony bias crime, and strangulation.

Ms Robinson is being held in jail, court records show.

Following the incident, Mr Yoshioka told broadcaster KATU that he was “glad to be assigned to Portland and haven’t changed my good image about Portland despite this incident”.

The attack was part of a "broader pattern" of Ms Robinson targeting people of Asian descent, according to court records.

She allegedly attacked a 76-year-old Asian man last year, where she approached the man from behind and “struck him in the head repeatedly ... and then placed him in a chokehold, cutting off his air supply and preventing him from yelling".

In 2021, Mr Yoshioka's predecessor reportedly wrote to then-governor Kate Brown, raising concerns about the state's lack of supervision of an incarcerated man who slipped away from a work crew and assaulted two women of Japanese descent.

About 9,000 Japanese people live in the state, the diplomat told the governor. “In response to this incident, we will have to consider how we, the Japanese community, should think about safety in Oregon,” Masaki Shiga wrote.

Jedaiah Lunn was sentenced to 34 years in prison for attacking the women and escaping in one of their cars.