Japan’s media have stressed that the visit was of a spiritual nature, and that he would not hold any official meetings to avoid irritating the authorities in Beijing, who accuse the spiritual leader of being a political leader who wants to split Tibet from China.
This is the Dalai Lama’s 14th visit to Japan. Tomorrow, he is to deliver a sermon at a stadium near the Zenkoji Buddhist Temple in the central city of Nagano before travelling to Kanazawa and Yokohama.
The Dalai Lama, 74, has been in exile since the failure of a popular uprising in Tibet in 1959 against Chinese rule.
After finding refuge in Dharamsala in India, he has visited many countries, but Beijing has frequently issued economic and political threats against countries that welcome him.