Dharamshala: Kota Kanemaki, Lecturer at Japan’s Keio University and the National Defense Academy, met with Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang earlier today, 19 November 2025, at the Speaker’s chamber during his visit to the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.

The meeting was highly interactive, covering a wide range of pressing issues, including the current critical situation inside Tibet amid the Chinese Communist Party’s policies of sinicization. Discussions touched upon the forced placement of Tibetan children into colonial boarding schools, restrictions on the use of the Tibetan language, limitations on the practice of Buddhism, restrictions on movement within Tibet, and the ongoing prosecution of Tibetan language activists, high-ranking lamas, and family members of self-immolators.

The Speaker and Deputy Speaker further elaborated on the background and true essence of the CTA’s Middle Way Approach, which seeks genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the People’s Republic of China rather than independence or the status quo. This pragmatic, nonviolent policy aims to find a mutually beneficial solution for both Tibetans and China by preserving Tibetan culture and identity through self-governance in cultural, religious, and educational spheres while respecting Chinese sovereignty.

During discussions on the functioning of democracy in exile, Kanemaki was briefed on the evolution of Tibetan democracy, the composition and structure of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, and key parliamentary initiatives, including the nine rounds of the World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet (WPCT) held since 1994, with the most recent session convened in Tokyo, Japan earlier this year.

Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang encouraged the lecturer to use his academic platform to amplify the truth of Tibet, noting that his voice holds significant influence, particularly in reaching younger generations.

-Report filed by Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat