TOKYO: US president George W Bush is the latest world leader to join the growing chorus calling for dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama.

But Japan came in for criticism on Thursday for not expressing enough concern about the situation.

Tibet has been a growing niche tourist destination for the Japanese since 2007 due to the launch of a new railway service.

According to the Japanese foreign ministry, there were 84 Japanese tourists in Tibet when the riots broke out earlier this month.

Tokyo has been asking Beijing to allow its envoy to visit Tibet to confirm the safety of other Japanese but this request has yet to be accepted.

The Japanese government has been calling on China to be more open and transparent about the situation, especially on the issue of humanitarian rights as the whole world is concerned about this aspect.

But Japan has stopped short of criticizing the Chinese government directly.

So how do Tibetan residents in Tokyo feel about Japan's reaction to the situation?

Lhakpa Tshoko, Representative of His Holiness The Dalai Lama in Tokyo, said: "Where Japan is concerned, just two to three days ago, there were comments from the government. Otherwise, in the past we didn't have any positive response from the Japanese government side. This is reality."

Japan was one of the earliest countries to host a Tibet representative office but Japanese prime ministers or foreign ministers have never met the Dalai Lama which is rare among G-8 countries.

Lhakpa Tshoko said: "In a way I don't blame the Japanese government so strongly because during World War Two, the Japanese government made a lot of enemies around. So in order to mend old wounds, it's taking a lot of time."

Observers see Tokyo's reticence as a sign of its unwillingness to aggravate slowly warming ties with Beijing.

This, especially ahead of an expected visit to Japan by Chinese President Hu Jintao in May. - CNA/vm