Radcliffe briefly spoke to the crowd in Japanese Potter film clips

Actor Daniel Radcliffe was met by hundreds of fans as he attended the world premiere of the fifth Harry Potter film in Tokyo.

Japanese competition winners were among the first to see The Order of the Phoenix movie.

Radcliffe, 17, greeted the crowd in Japanese, saying "Nihon no minasan, Konnichiwa" (hello, people of Japan).

The UK premiere of the film will be held in London on 3 July, and it opens in cinemas on 11 July.

Radcliffe, accompanied by the film's producer David Heyman, was the only one of the film's main stars to make the journey to Tokyo.

He was introduced on to the red carpet amid plumes of smoke and pyrotechnics.

"It's wonderful to come over here and to say hello," said Radcliffe.

"I hope people will be impressed by the new characters, the new performances, and the big battle."

Potter fans gathered to show their appreciation

First kiss

In the movie, Harry experiences his first kiss, with schoolmate Cho Chang, played by actress Katie Leung. Radcliffe has admitted kissing on screen was nothing in comparison to stripping off on stage, as he did in the West End play Equus.

"Once you've been on stage naked in front of 1,000 people you really feel you can do almost anything without inhibition," he told the BBC News website.

"Kissing Katie was a very, very comfortable experience, especially when compared to being naked on stage and blinding horses."

The latest of the Potter film sequels is being released just weeks before the long-awaited seventh and final book is published, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

SOURCE : BBC NEWS