HOW MANY LEGIONS DOES THE DALAI LAMA HAVE? JAPAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 003045 E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2018 TAGS: PHUM PREL PREF PNAT JP SUBJECT: HOW MANY LEGIONS DOES THE DALAI LAMA HAVE? JAPAN IS A SEMI-SUBMERGED ONE Classified By: Classified by Ambassador Schieffer for reasons 1.4b,d ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. There is broad pro-Tibetan sentiment in Japan, but most keep expressions of support low-key to avoid alienating China. The Diet,s Tibet Support League has 50-60 members, 140 leading Japanese cultural figures support meaningful direct talks between the Dalai Lama and PRC, and Tibet-related artistic and academic events are frequently packed by young people. In both the parliamentary league and the cultural figures group, most of the members keep support private, while continuing to maintain relationships with China. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Representative Yukio Edano is head of the Parliamentary League to Study the Tibet Problem. Edano told Embassy Tokyo that there are now 50 to 60 Diet members who are in the group, but that most prefer to remain anonymous "in order to maintain their ability to work with China." The group,s make-up spans the POLITICAL spectrum from conservative to liberal. Conservative support for Tibet has always been strong as part of an ideological anti-Communist and anti-China bent. According to Edano, the increase in POLITICAL support for Tibet can be attributed to three causes: an increased recognition of China,s human rights problems, a lingering sense of distrust of China, and a sense of fatigue at China,s frequent criticisms of Japan,s WWII era excesses. Edano says one of his main goals while leader of the group is to increase the number of members who are both pro-China and critical of China,s actions in Tibet. ¶3. (C) Jin Tatsumura, a prominent Japanese film director, paints a similar picture of strong support for the Tibetan cause by leading Japanese cultural figures and intellectuals, although not all of it is above ground. "We have about 140 quite well known cultural figures in our group, but only about 56 signed the petition sent to the Chinese government in April. The rest want at present to be quietly supportive, so as to be able to keep their ties with China." Quiet support in Japan is also not limited to the artistic community: Tatsumura noted that Kazuo Inamori, Honorary Chairman of Kyocera, is an example of a prominent business figure who is supportive of the Tibetan cause, but feels the need to be discreet because of business interests in China. Tatsumura stated that the main goal of the group at the moment is to better educate Japanese media about the true nature of the Tibet problem. ¶4. (C) Japanese support for the Tibetan cause is tempered by the importance that its leaders -- political, cultural and economic -- put on the relationship with China. For example, although the Dalai Lama arrives on October 31st for his 16th visit to Japan since 1967, there do not appear to be any official plans for him to meet with any senior government figures. Nevertheless, popular support here for the Tibetan cause is steady, as judged by the standing room only attendance at Tibet-related artistic and academic events in recent months. As the head Abbott of Gokokuji Temple said at the opening of the "Missing Peace" exhibit in Tokyo recently, "We support the Dalai Lama,s use of non-violent means. We believe that the cluster bombs of Buddhism will explode in the hearts of people across the planet, and even the Chinese will change." SCHIEFFER