TibetanReview
January 23, 2010

A delegation from the Tibet Support group in
Japan on Jan 21 presented to the country’s
Ministry of Cultural Affairs a set of 600
petitions from the public criticizing the hosting
of a Chinese propaganda exhibition on Tibet which
concluded in Tokyo recently. The delegation was
headed by Mr Makino Sheishu, Member of Parliament
and chairman of Japanese Parliamentary Groups for Tibet.

The petitions were handed to the office of Mr
Takahira Kozo, Superintendent of History and
Museum section of Japan’s Ministry of Cultural
Affairs. Japanese supporters of the Tibetan
struggle had staged a series of protests during the holding of the exhibition.

The exhibition, consisting of artefacts and other
items put together from occupied Tibet, was
organized by the Chinese government in
collaboration with Japanese business
establishments and Japan’s Ministry of Cultural
Affairs. The protester contended that the
exhibition was a Chinese propaganda and presented
a distorted picture of the real situation in Tibet.

Copies of the petitions were also presented to
the office of Ueno Mori Museum, where the
exhibition was held, and Daiko, an advertising company which sponsored it.

Meanwhile, Mr Takahira’s office, being not aware
of the details of the exhibits, told the
delegation that they would convey the message of
the protest-visit to the hosts of the travelling
exhibition’s next itineraries, namely the cities
of Osaka and Sendai, reported the exiled Tibetan government’s Tibet.net Jan 22.

The report said supporters of the Tibetan
struggle were to stage a protest when the
exhibition opens at the Osaka National Museum on Jan 23.