Zenkoji Temple, the Buddhist shrine made famous in the West during the Nagano Olympics 10 years ago, might opt out as the starting point for the Olympic torch relay in Japan.
The temple was designated as the starting point for the Nagano leg of the Beijing Games torch run, but a report carried by Kyodo News, a Japanese service, said officials at Zenkoji informed Nagano's municipal committee that the temple is reconsidering its role.
The hesitation may be a signal of Buddhist solidarity with Tibetan exiles. China's crackdown in Tibet and human-rights issues have been at the centre of disruptions of the Olympic torch relay through Greece, London, Paris, San Francisco and New Delhi.
The news came as the abbreviated 2.9-kilometre run in the Indian capital ended yesterday and the flame was sent off to Indonesia.
In India, the run was cloaked in secrecy to reduce the Olympic flame's vulnerability to protesters. About 100,000 Tibetan refugees live in India and the spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, established his government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India.
More than 15,000 security people guarded the torch during its brief Indian odyssey, and opposition spokesmen railed against the federal government for turning the capital's downtown "into a police camp."
India's Newindpress website cited a Tibetan Youth Congress report that 400 people tried to breach security along the route. Police in New Delhi said about 180 Tibetan demonstrators were arrested. Police in Mumbai said 46 Tibetans were arrested when they tried to enter the Chinese consulate.
Anti-Chinese demonstrations along the route of the international torch run have turned the Beijing flame's "Journey of Harmony" into a security marathon. Instead of kindling the Olympic spirit from continent to continent, the run has become a succession of security events.
Sources said details on the final 18-kilometre route in Nagano on April 26 will be kept under wraps until the eve of the torch relay. Authorities called up 2,000 officers from the Nagano police and about 800 officers from nearby prefectures. Initially, only 1,000 officers were planned.