Abe raises militarist specter

China and Britain have a common responsibility to oppose and condemn words or actions invalidating post-war order

In the Harry Potter story, the dark wizard Voldemort dies because the seven horcruxes, which contain parts of his soul, have been destroyed. 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.

On Dec 26, in flagrant disregard of the feelings of his Asian neighbors, Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, paid homage at the Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Class A war criminals defined as those who committed "crimes against peace" are enshrined. They were among the 28 Japanese political and military leaders convicted by an international military tribunal after the World War II.