Japanese envoy winds up 4-day visit to Tibet+

     LHASA, China, Aug. 20 Kyodo -
     Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa on Saturday wound up a four-day visit to the Tibetan Autonomous Region where he met with the Tibet governor, toured Buddhist temples and talked with ordinary Tibetans during a trip he said was aimed at getting to know China's ethnic minorities better.
     Speaking to reporters at the end of his stay in the Tibetan capital, Niwa said he was impressed by the ''depth of religion'' among Tibetans, while calling on Chinese authorities to ease restrictions on foreigners' travel to Tibet.
     On Saturday, Niwa visited the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, a maker of Tibetan religious paintings called ''Thangka'' and a children's facility where he chatted with the staff and children there.
     Jokhang Temple was closed for a while after rioting in 2008, and police officers carrying rifles were seen guarding the front of the temple Saturday.
     Niwa also visited the Potala Palace, the chief residence of the Dalai Lama, and met with Tibet Gov. Padma Choling, a native Tibetan and a former army man, during his stay in Lhasa.
     According to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, Niwa is the first Japanese ambassador to visit Tibet in at least 10 years.
     Niwa arrived in Lhasa on Wednesday after a 24-hour train journey from Xining in Qinghai Province.
     He told reporters before embarking on the visit, ''For Japan to have friendly ties with China, we need to befriend (Chinese) ethnic minorities as well.''
==Kyodo
2011-08-20 23:33:02