Man brandishes tattoo at Japanese consulate

Liu Qiang displays his tattoo in front of the Japanese consulate in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in this June 11 file photo. [Photo/CFP]

A 40-year-old man has been regularly displaying his tattoo in front of the Japanese consulate in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, as a show of anger at Japan, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Monday.

Liu Qiang’s tattoo on his back, which reads Jing Zhong Bao Guo in Chinese characters, means “Repaying the country with supreme loyalty”.

Liu has shown off his tattoo in front of the consulate six times since February. He also sings patriotic songs and displays his calligraphy writings, such as “Japanese should apologize” and “China’s Rise”.

Liu was formerly a foreign language teacher. He was fired half a year ago for his activities, which he said allows him to express his anger toward Japan.

His grandfather died during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion (1937-45). His grandmother, Yang Ying, who was born in Pyongyang, was captured and sent to China by Japanese to serve as a “comfort woman”，according to Liu. Liu also said Yang’s father was apparently beaten to death in Seoul by several Japanese men.

In 2011, Liu set fire to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japan’s class-A war criminals are enshrined, which damaged a wooden door. He then fled to South Korea. In 2012, Liu threw Molotov bottles at the Japanese embassy in South Korea, which led to a 10-month prison sentence for attempted arson.

In 2013, Liu returned to China and has since used non-violent ways to express his emotions. Liu said he hates Japanese militarism, but is friendly to Japanese people.

He said he worked as a volunteer at Fukushima in 2011 when the country was struck by nuclear meltdowns and a huge earthquake.

zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn