TOKYO – The Dalai Lama arrived in Tokyo on Friday for a visit that is likely to irritate China, which views Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader as a “dangerous separatist.”
The Buddhist Dalai Lama has run his government-in-exile from India since fleeing Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against China’s Communist rule.
He is making his 12th visit to Japan, at the invitation of a group of Japanese lawmakers.
Beijing has objected to Japan providing a “political stage” for the Dalai Lama and some Western governments have seemed to shun him recently under pressure from China, which says Tibet is an inseparable part of its territory.
Japanese Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Jiro Okuyama said on Thursday that Tokyo knew about China’s concerns but was dealing with the matter in line with Japan’s domestic laws and regulations.
“We are aware that China has expressed concern over the Dalai Lama’s visit to Japan but as to whether there was a specific direct approach from the Chinese side this time, we cannot comment,” Okuyama said.
“As for the status of Tibet, it is the constant position of the Japanese government that it is an internal affair of the Chinese government,” he added.
Sino-Japanese ties are often frayed by China’s memories of Japan’s wartime occupation and Japan’s fear of being overtaken in terms of economic and diplomatic clout by its giant neighbor.
The Dalai Lama, who will stay in Japan through November 11, is expected to speak chiefly on religion.
A panel discussion on the dialogue between science and religion will be attended Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Masatoshi Koshiba.
