From the Associated Press (AP)

NAGANO, Japan, Dec. 30 (AP) – (Kyodo)—Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will visit Zenkoji Temple in central Japan, which earned praise from him for rejecting cooperation in a Beijing Olympic torch relay, in June 2010, the temple said Wednesday.

The Buddhist temple in Nagano declined to serve as the starting point of the Japan leg of the torch relay because of the crackdown on Buddhists in Tibet in 2008, and the Dalai Lama gave a statue to the temple in March to show his gratitude over the decision. Both sides have since maintained exchanges.

“Zenkoji Temple’s decision to withdraw from the relay led Tibetans to think that they have received strong support from the Japanese Buddhist community,” said Lhakpa Tshoko, the representative of the Dalai Lama’s liaison office for Japan and East Asia.

The Dalai Lama will arrive in Japan on June 18, attend a ritual at the temple the following day and deliver a speech in Nagano on June 20 before visiting Tokyo and Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, according to the temple.

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