Tokyo: With the Diet in session, the governing body of the All Party Japanese Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet convened a meeting at the House of Representatives’ office building to discuss the issue of Tibet and་ to introduce Dr Tsewang Gyalpo Arya as the new representative of Liaison Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Japan and East Asia.
18 Japanese parliamentarians from different political parties attended the meeting.
Mr. Nakao Takashi, General Secretary of the All-Party Japanese Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet introduced Dr Arya to the governing body and the members welcomed the new Representative warmly. In his opening remarks, Mr Nagao said the Japanese Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet as the largest Parliamentary support group in the world should reinvigorate efforts on the issue of Tibet. He appealed to the Japanese Parliamentarians to join the Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet.
In his address, Mr Shimomura Hakubun, Chairman of the All-Party Japanese Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet, called for the need to strengthen support for the Tibetan people’s right for justice and their non-violent freedom struggle.
Dr. Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Japan, briefed on the recent developments in Tibet, particularly the successful passage of the 2020 Tibetan Policy and Support Act in the US Parliament and signed by President Donald Trump last year. Dr Arya further apprised them on the activities to highlight the issue of Tibet in the coming months. He thanked the Japanese parliamentarians’ unstinting support for Tibet, adding that Japan’s long-standing support for the Tibetan people’s struggle for justice, freedom and democracy has greatly contributed to the successful passage of the United States’ Tibetan Policy and Support Act.
Ms. Sakurai Yoshiko, President of the Japan Institute of National Fundamental, a top think tank in Japan, also attended the meeting. In her speech, Ms. Sakurai praised the United States for its Tibetan Policy and Support Act and standing up to support His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the democratically-elected leadership of the Central Tibetan Administration despite pressure from the Chinese government. She appealed to the Japanese Parliament to take a more bold and proactive approach on the issue of Tibet
-Report filed by the OOT. Japan