Japan: Famous temple refuses to host Olympic Torch relay
A major Japanese Buddhist temple has pulled out of a plan to host the Beijing Olympics torch relay, it was reported today, amid speculation that the monks sympathised with Tibetan protesters.
Kyodo News agency said Tokyo’s Zenkoji Temple refused to serve as the starting point for the April 26 relay, which has drawn protests around the world against China’s crackdown on Tibetan demonstrators.
Koichi Yajima, the Nagano city official in charge of the relay, said there was a meeting between Zenkoji monks and the city, but he could not confirm the reported withdrawal.
But Mr Yajima said the monks were concerned about the safety of the temple and its worshippers should the relay spark the angry demonstrations it has brought in Europe and the US.
The government in Tokyo said it planned to provide adequate security.
“The relay went smoothly in some spots and got disrupted in other places overseas. We want to prevent disruptions with thorough security,” chief Cabinet secretary Nobutaka Machimura said.
The torch relay was to start from the famous temple, taking runners through the city for 11.5 miles. Nagano, the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, has already cancelled a post-relay event because of security concerns.
In a separate report, Japan’s Jiji Press news agency quoted an unnamed priest as saying that Zenkoji priests felt solidarity with people in Tibet as fellow Buddhists.
Officials at the temple’s secretariat could not confirm the reports, saying they had not heard from the priests about any decision.
Since its start on March 24 in Greece, the torch relay has been a magnet for critics of China’s policies in Tibet. Protesters disrupted stops in London, Paris and San Francisco, helping make the games among the most contentious in years.
The Olympic flame, which arrived in Thailand today under tight security, is to arrive in Japan from Australia and then travel to Seoul, South Korea.
