Japan-Tibet-India: Reincarnation, Security and Democracy

Tokyo  |  10 May 2026

Asia Strategic Forum, together with Tibet Action Institute and Closed Door Policy Consulting, with the support of Students for a Free Tibet Japan, is organising a public symposium titled “Japan-Tibet-India: Reincarnation, Security and Democracy.”

India and Japan are the two major Indo-Pacific democracies with deep civilisational, strategic, and security stakes in Tibet. Both share a Buddhist heritage with Tibet that predates the modern state system. Both navigate complex and evolving security dynamics with China. 

The question of the Dalai Lama’s succession is now one of the most consequential geopolitical flashpoints in the region. Beijing has stated its intent to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama. How India and Japan respond, individually and together, will be critical to Tibet’s future and shape the balance of power in the region.

This symposium brings together strategic thinkers focusing on Japan, Tibet and India to examine how the Indo-Pacific’s leading democracies can engage on Tibet from a position rooted in their own civilisational and security interests. 

The event will also feature the launch of the Japanese version of the latest report of the Tibet Action Institute, “When They Came to Take Our Children: China’s Colonial Boarding Schools and the Future of Tibet.” The Report has been translated by Mr. Hirofumi Kameda and published by Tibet House and SFT Japan.

Register here to join this talk: Click here!