Tokyo: The leadership of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has arrived in Tokyo ahead of the 9th World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet (WPCT), marking a significant step in international engagement on the Tibetan issue. The delegation includes Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, and Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang, accompanied by the Representative of the Liaison Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Japan and East Asia.
One of the delegation’s first official engagements was a high-level meeting with the Japanese Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet at the National Diet Building. The meeting was chaired by Eriko Yamatani and moderated by General Secretary Hiroshi Yamada, with the presence of Yoshiko Sakurai, President of the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals.
During the meeting, Sikyong Penpa Tsering highlighted the worsening human rights situation in Tibet under Chinese Communist Party rule and urged global leaders to refrain from using the term “Xizang” in reference to Tibet. He also emphasised the importance of international recognition of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s four principal commitments and called upon lawmakers to pass resolutions honouring His Holiness’ life and legacy on his upcoming 90th birthday.
The CTA leadership extended invitations to Japanese lawmakers to attend the Tibetan Democracy Day celebrations in September and will meet with the local Tibetan community in Tokyo on 1 June. Sikyong Penpa Tsering is scheduled to travel to Osaka on 31 May to engage with local parliamentarians and visit Seifu Gakuin school.
