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BUDDHIST DIPLOMACY: HISTORY AND STATUS QUO 31denounces it. In addition, the Chinese government has to defendits religious policy and practices in Tibet. Since 2011, a series ofself-immolation by Tibetan lamas and nuns to call for internationalattention to their cause has brought the Chinese government intoa face-to-face conflict with the Dalai Lama, Western governmentsand NGOs. The Chinese government accused the Dalai Lama andhis associates of instigating the immolation. The Dalai Lama rejectssuch accusations. 121Japan’s <strong>Buddhist</strong> diplomacyAs the first Asian country to successfully industrialize itself,Japan is also one of the first to employ Buddhism for diplomaticpurposes among modern Asian countries. Japan started to introduceZen Buddhism, which is primarily based on the Soto and Rinzaischools, to the West in the 19th century. 122 During World War II,Japanese <strong>Buddhist</strong> sects, including Zen Buddhism, supported thecountry’s militarism, nationalism and racism in its brutal invasionof other countries. <strong>Buddhist</strong> monks were sent to occupied areas aspart of the government’s colonization and international propagandaprogram. 1231. Overseas expansion by Japanese <strong>Buddhist</strong> sectsAfter the World War Two, separation of church and state in thenew constitution prompted resurgence, modernization, and overseasexpansion of Japanese Buddhism. 124 D.T. Suzuki (1870–1966),along with many Zen teachers who emigrated to the United Statesand Europe, “repackaged” Japanese Zen Buddhism for the West. 125Suzuki’s effort was reportedly funded by the Japanese government. 126Jodo Shinshu, or Shin Buddhism, which started to spread to NorthAmerica in the 19th century, also increased its westward expansionafter the War. Its affiliated organization, the <strong>Buddhist</strong> Church ofAmerica, currently has over 60 independent temples and a numberof Fellowships and Sanghas with approximately 16,000 membersthroughout the United States. 127 Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism builta worldwide network along with its lay organization Soka Gakkai.
32 BUDDHIST DIPLOMACY: HISTORY AND STATUS QUOSoka Gakkai International disassociated itself from the Nichirenchurch in 1991. It is largely comprised of non-Japanese, includingmany African and Hispanic followers. 128 The organization claimsthat it links more than 12 million people around the world. 1292. Japanese government’s involvement in <strong>Buddhist</strong> diplomacyThe Japanese government has been actively involved in <strong>Buddhist</strong>diplomacy. It has funded many projects restoring world <strong>Buddhist</strong>relics, promoting Japanese <strong>Buddhist</strong> heritage to the world, engagingin international affairs that have to do with Buddhism, and usingBuddhism as a means to promote bilateral political relations withother countries.The Japanese government created the Japan Foundation andthe Japanese Trust Fund for the Preservation of World CulturalHeritage to fund international cultural exchange programs andrestoration of cultural and heritage sites. It has funded preservationand restoration of <strong>Buddhist</strong> relics in many countries such as China,Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Thailand, India, and Cambodia. The Japanesegovernment has also showed strong interest in the multinationaleffort to revive the Nalanda University in India. Japanese ForeignMinisters met with the Mentor Group of the planned university andIndian Prime Minister in 2007 and 2010, respectively, to discussJapan’s support for the project. 130 As part of the Japan-Indian GlobalPartnership signed in 2006, the Japanese government has agreed toinvest $100 million for the university. 131 In addition, with the supportof Japan’s “Grant Assistance for Gross Projects”, the Japanesegovernment built 42 tube wells in villages in Nalanda to help thelocal people. 132The Japanese government has also actively promoted Japanese<strong>Buddhist</strong> Heritage to the world. For example, the governmentnominated two of Japan’s <strong>Buddhist</strong> sites, Hiraizumi temples, gardensand archaeological sites representing the <strong>Buddhist</strong> Pure Land and<strong>Buddhist</strong> buildings in the Horyu-ji area, to be inscribed on the WorldHeritage List. When Japan hosted the 2010 APEC conference, it
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