Narita: Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrived in Japan on Thursday on his way to the United States amid protests over China's handling of unrest in Tibet.

The situation in Tibet, where anti-government riots erupted last month, has sparked worldwide protests.

The Dalai Lama, accused by Beijing of fomenting unrest, has called for calm.

He was to hold a news conference later in the day before travelling on to Seattle, where he was scheduled to give a lecture.