By Bernama
Tokyo : Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama arrived Thursday at Narita airport near Tokyo while on transit on his way to the United States later in the day, Japan’s Kyodo News reported.
The Dalai Lama is staying at a hotel near the airport and will hold a press conference in the afternoon at a time when the Olympic torch relays for the August summer games in Beijing have been repeatedly disrupted by protestors over China’s crackdown on recent rioting in Tibet.
“See you in the afternoon,” the Dalai Lama told reporters as he arrived at the hotel, while waiving his hand with a smile.
Sources close to him said the Dalai Lama will meet with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s wife Akie at the hotel.
After meeting the press, he will head to Seattle.
The Japanese government has repeatedly said it is a brief stop over and there would be no official meetings. But it is likely to agitate China.
On April 1 when the Dalai Lama’s plan to stop over in Japan was confirmed, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said:”We have consistently opposed his going to other countries and carrying out separatist activities, under whatever name or in whatever capacity”.
At the hotel, about 30 people, including Tibetans in Japan and their Japanese supporters, gathered to see the Dalai Lama.
“Tibetans have no freedom in China,” said a 50-year-old Tibetan woman, adding that the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama to hold a dialogue to solve the problem peacefully.