Tokyo — Dr Arya, representative of the Tibet Office in Japan, presented a report to the Japanese parliamentary group on the history of Tibet, the Chinese invasion of Tibet, and the current situation in Tibet, including the recent demolition of the 99-foot Buddha statue in Draggo County, Kham Region, Eastern Tibet.
After the recent parliamentary resolution condemning China for the gross violation of human rights in Tibet and other occupied areas, the All-Party Japanese Parliamentary Group for Tibet held its executive meeting on February 7, 2022, in the conference room of the Lower House of Parliament in Nagatacho, Tokyo.
About 19 members of parliament and their representatives attended the meeting, including Shimomura Hakubun, Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Tibet, Ishikawa Akimasa, new General Secretary of the Japan Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet, Watanabe Shu of the Constitutional Democracy Party, and MP Nagao Takashi, former General Secretary of the Japan Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet.
The meeting was also attended by Dr Arya Tsewang Gyalpo, the representative, and Jigme Tsetan from the Tibet Office in Japan. Dr Arya expressed his deep gratitude on behalf of all Tibetans and people living in the occupied areas to all members of parliament for their support in condemning the human rights violations by the Chinese communist regime. He said that this would serve to send a strong message to the Chinese regime that the world is watching and that it cannot continue with its brutal policies forever.
During the meeting, Dr Arya, representative of the Tibet Office in Japan, presented a two-page report in which he informed the Japanese parliamentary group about the history of Tibet, the Chinese invasion of Tibet, and the escape of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetans in exile. He described the militarisation of the Tibetan plateau and the police state situation in Tibet. He informed members of the flagrant violation of religious freedom and the recent destruction of the 99-foot Buddha statue and school in Kham Draggo County, Kham, Eastern Tibet.
At the same time, Dr Arya requested the Japanese government to urge the Chinese leadership to end religious and cultural repression in Tibet and to negotiate with the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) representatives to resolve the Tibet issue. Furthermore, he urged the parliamentarians to pass a law similar to the US Tibet Policy and Support Act of 2020.
Shimomura Hakubun, Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Tibet, explained the newly passed resolution to condemn the violation of human rights in Tibet. He also congratulated the members on the successful adoption of the resolution.
