A 62-year-old Japanese diplomat was attacked by a US woman in what local media reports say was an alleged anti-Asian hate crime last month in Oregon, according to court records.
According to the South China Morning Post, Yuzo Yoshioka, 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 the same day. He has since returned to work, according to the ministry.
The Independent reported, quoting an article in Oregon Live, that 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".
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.
