Tokyo: Former Representative Lungtok of the Liaison Office of H.H. the Dalai Lama for Japan and East Asia, who was visiting Japan with his family, gave a talk at Tibet House Japan on 6 June. The incumbent Representative, Dr. Tsewang Gyalpo Arya welcomed the former Representative and his family, and briefly introduced Lungtok to the audience.

Lungtok thanked the Tibet House for organising the event and the audience for attending the talk. Firstly, he apologised for his swift and sudden flight back to India at the end of his tenure in 2020. He explained that because of the COVID pandemic, he could not say proper farewell to all. He talked about the historical relationship between Japan and Tibet since the 13th Dalai Lama. He briefed the audience on the Japanese who visited Tibet, especially Tada Tokan and Aoki Bunkyo, who brought many Buddhist scriptures and information about Tibet to Japan. He further talked about the visit of H.H. the Dalai Lama to Japan and how His Holiness appreciated the hard work of the Japanese people and for making Japan one of the most developed countries.

Former Representative Lungtok attended to the questions from the audience on the situation in Tibet, Chinese dam constructions, colonial boarding schools, and so on. Representative Arya provided additional clarification on these issues. At the end of the talk, Tibet House Japan thanked Lungtok for the talk and offered a traditional Tibetan khata, an auspicious scarf.

Many of the participants were old friends and well known to Lungtok and they had informal friendly exchange of greetings and communication after the talk. Lungtok served as the Representative of the Liaison Office of H.H. the Dalai Lama for Japan and East Asia from 2014 to 2020. He was accompanied by his wife Tsering Dolma and their two sons.

-Report Filed by Office of Tibet, Japan