(CRI)
Updated: 2007-04-04 13:48

An essay contest for Chinese people writing in Japanese was launched on Wednesday to mark the 35th anniversary of China and Japan establishing diplomatic relations in 1972.

The contest is open to all Chinese residents who have never studied in Japan. The deadline for submissions is June 30 and the results will be announced in December.

The theme of the essays should be related to "deepening mutual understanding between the people of China and Japan or "viewpoints on Sino-Japanese cooperation in environmental protection."

The contest, held annually since 2005, has become one of the key activities in cultural exchanges between the two countries. Award-winning essays from the previous two contests have been compiled in two books and published by a Japanese newspaper.