The Rising Sun in the Land of the Snows Japanese Involvement in Tibet in Early 20th Century

"A great deal has been written about British and othe European travellers in Tibet, but of the Japanese litle is known. Yet most European travellers came at the head of expeditions and only an exceptional few made an effort to learn the language or the ways of our country. Japanese travellers on the other hand generally came on their own and in almost every case lived in Tibet just as we Tibetians did. Many of these Japanese travellers were Buddhist priests who came to study our religion. One or two were accomplished of unchallenged independence. Yajima, for example, helped to develop the Tibetan armed, forces. Teramoto and Aoki worked to establish relations between Tibet and Japan. Even after the Chinese invasion Tada and my friend Dawa Sangpo continued to assist the Tibetan refugee community."