By Jaime Ortega.
A week after a Chinese envoy compared Japan with Lord Voldemort, the Japanese Ambassador to the United Kingdom has also referred to the archenemy of Harry Potter to accuse Beijing of raising tensions amid disputes over territory.
In an opinion article published in the Daily Telegraph, Keiichi Hayashi said China is trying to use “coercion” to change the status quo in the region, and defended Japan’s commitment to peace , democracy and rights human.
“Our maritime forces never harass neighbors at sea and meet the standards of the UN,” Hayashi wrote in reference to Beijing ‘s territorial claims .
“Asia is now at a crossroads,” Hayashi said. “There are two paths open in China. One is seeking dialogue and to respect the rule of law,. The other is playing the role of Voldemort in the region , unleashing the evil of the arms race and escalating tensions.”
“The answer seems obvious. Though China so far has refused to allow any dialogue between our leaders , I sincerely hope that it goes forward, rather than continue raising the militarism specter ongoing for seven decades , which no longer exists now,” says .
Abe angered Japan’s neighbors last month with a visit to a shrine that honors war victims in the country , including several former leaders convicted of war crimes.
” The door for dialogue is always open ”
For many Chinese and Koreans, the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo is a powerful symbol of Japanese militarism, pilgrimage politicians are seen as evidence that Japan has yet to atone for his conduct during the war in Asia.
Since there is little chance that the summit talks soon, Abe said he wanted to explain the reasons for his visit to the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping , and the president of South Korea, Park Geun- hye.
“The search for dialogue with China and South Korea is extremely important to the peace and security of this region,” Abe told reporters on Monday. ” I would like to explain my true intentions regarding my visit to Yasukuni. Door for dialogue is always open. I would like to hold a meeting between Japan and China in the upcoming summit between Japan and South Korea. ”
“I’m sure I’ll be able to get the understanding of neighboring nations about finding peace in my government if I explain myself well.”
Abe insisted that he did not visit Yasukuni to honor war criminals , or to promote militarism , but to remember the 2.5 million dead Japanese in war and reaffirmed its determination that Japan should never go to war.
