Japan okays transit visa for Dalai Lama
The Japanese government has granted a transit visa to the Dalai Lama, who plans to make a stopover in Japan when he changes planes at Narita Airport on a trip to the United States, government sources said Tuesday.
The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, will leave India on April 9 and arrive at Narita Airport the next morning. He will spend several hours at a hotel near the airport then depart for the United States the same day, the sources said. In light of the recent riots in the Tibet Autonomous Region that have sparked international criticism of China for its crackdown on Tibetan protesters, observers believe the Chinese government is nervous about what the Dalai Lama could do in Japan.
Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a separatist intent on gaining independence for Tibet from China.
However, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said the government had appropriately handled the Dalai Lama's many previous visits to this country.
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