Japan hits back at China for ‘Lord Voldemort’ comment

Japan’s ambassador to Britain hits back at China, a week after a Chinese envoy compared Japan to the Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort. In an opinion piece published in the Daily Telegraph, Keiichi Hayashi accused Beijing of raising tensions in the East China Sea, where both countries have staked claims over disputed islands. Hayashi added, “There are two paths open to China. One is to seek dialogue, and abide by the rule of law. The other is to play the role of Voldemort in the region by letting loose the evil of an arms race and escalation of tensions.” The comment was a response to a piece by Chinese ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming, who criticized the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Yasukuni Shrine. The controversial WWII shrine honors the war dead, including some class A war criminals. Liu accused Abe of “raising the specter of militarism” with his visit. He added, “If militarism is like the haunting Voldemort of Japan, the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo is a kind of horcrux, representing the darkest parts of that nation’s soul.”

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