Tokyo: Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, who is on an official visit to Tokyo visited the Japan Parliament building and addressed the working committee members of the Japanese Parliamentarian Support Group for Tibet at the International Conference Hall of the building in Nagatacho, Tokyo on 30th July 2024.

Mr. Shimomura Hakubun, Chairman of the Japan Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet, welcomed Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and apprised him of the strong support from the Japanese parliamentarians for the Tibet issue. Mr. Shimomura also talked about the colonial boarding schools and increased repression in China. He informed the committee of the plan to organize the 9th World Parliamentary Convention on Tibet (WPCT) in Tokyo in 2025 and how to go about it.

Ven. Khenpo Sonam Tenphel thanked Chairman Shimomura Hakubun, Secretary Ishikawa, and others for welcoming him and for all the support they have been extending for the Tibet issue and the Tibet House Japan office. He updated the parliament committee on the continued repressions in Tibet and spoke on the recent closure of the Jigme Gyaltsen school in Golok. He informed the members of how H.H. the Dalai Lama worked hard and introduced democratic governance in exile.

Speaker Khenpo took the opportunity to thank the Japanese parliament for their 2022 resolutions condemning Chinese human rights violations in Tibet, Uyghurs, Southern Mongolia, and Hong Kong. He thanked the Japanese government for its statement this year at the Geneva Universal Periodical Report (UPR) session on the Chinese violation of human rights in Tibet and other occupied regions. Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel praised Japan for having the largest number of bipartisan parliamentarians supporting the Tibet issue and appreciated their help and cooperation in organizing the 9th WPCT in Tokyo next year.

Representative of the Liaison Office of H.H. the Dalai Lama for Japan and East Asia, Dr. Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, updated the committee members on the recent US Congress legislation “Resolve Tibet Act”, the bill signed by President Joe Biden and became law on July 12. He pointed out some essential points of the Act reflecting the US policy on Tibet and requested the parliamentarians to recognize and assert the fact that Tibet was never a part of China since ancient times. He also read the resolution adopted during a seminar on “Chinese colonial boarding schools” held on July 7 at Tokyo University, in which Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Southern Mongolians representatives were urged to request their respective Parliamentary Support Groups to raise this Chinese colonial boarding school issue in the parliament.

Mr. Ishikawa Akimasa opened the discussion on the World Parliamentary Convention on Tibet and Ven. Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Representative Arya explained the purpose of the convention and why it was planned in Tokyo. They discussed the logistics involved and how to go about it.

Japan is a free and democratic nation. It is one of the world’s most successful democracies, where the rule of law and international norms are upheld. Moreover, Japan has the largest number of parliamentarians supporting the Tibet issue. Many Japanese monasteries, Shinto institutions, and the general public respect H.H. the Dalai Lama and are very supportive of the Tibetan freedom movement.

Ven. Khenpo Sonam Tenphel visited Tibet House Office and later met with the members of the Tibetan community in Japan and updated them on the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)’s activity and requested their cooperation and help for the next year’s convention in Tokyo.

Ven. Khenpo Sonam Tenphel is accompanied by Personal Assistant Gyaltsen Gonpo during the Tokyo trip.