TOKYO, Sept. 14 -- A Tibetan cultural exchange delegation dispatched by China's State Council Information Office has informed Japanese lawmakers, press and religious groups about the latest development of China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
During the visit that kicked off on Wednesday, the delegation held seminars with Japanese lawmakers, religious groups, and reporters from major Japanese media and introduced the achievements made by Tibet in recent years in economic and social development, improvement of people's living standards, environmental protection, and inheritance and protection of traditional culture.
Hao Shiyuan, head of the delegation and member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said at a seminar with Japanese lawmakers on Friday that Tibetan culture is an important part of Chinese culture, and it is an important task for China to protect and develop Tibetan culture while promoting social and economic development.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, said that as Japan-China relationship returns to normal track, it is hoped that more such activities could be held to help Japanese people enhance understanding of the Tibetan culture and to promote bilateral friendship.
The delegation also answered questions from the Japanese audience on daily life of the Tibetan people, collection and preservation of Tibetan religious books, and inheritance of Tibetan culture.
The Japanese lawmakers said that they felt Tibetan culture interesting after the seminar and that they hoped to have the opportunity to visit Tibet in the future.
The delegation visited the Chotaiji Temple in Tokyo and exchanged views with religious groups on Thursday morning. They had a seminar with reporters from major Japanese media on Thursday afternoon.
The visit to Japan is the first stop of an overseas exchange agenda of the delegation. The delegation will leave Japan on Saturday for Mongolia and South Korea.