As a longtime activist for democratic change in China, Mr. Makino said he is still hopeful that change will come to China. He talked about two potential forces of change - the sustained international pressure on China to democratize and the growing cases of democratic dissidence in China itself - that could have a significant impact on China’s future in the coming years. “There is a need for these two forces to join hands so change could also come to China,” he said.
Mr. Lhakpa Tshoko, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tokyo said the current visit of His Holiness reflects the unprecedented surge in popular support for Tibetan people’s cause especially among Japanese Buddhists and Japanese youth. He said awareness about the Tibetan situation touched a new high since 2007 and particularly in 2008 when the priests at the Zenkoji Temple refused to host the the Beijing Olympic torch relay citing China’s continued repression of Tibetan Buddhists. Mr. Tshoko said this gesture from Zenkoji’s highest authority is an active expression of solidarity from Japanese Buddhists to Tibetan Buddhists.
His Holiness will attend a press conference tomorrow morning at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan before moving to Nagano in the afternoon. In his week-long visit, His Holiness will give a series of religious talks and lectures in Nagano, Kanazawa and Yokohama.
This is the 14th visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Japan.
