Starting September 1, Japanese businessmen and tourists will not require visas for brief visits to China.

As is now the case for tourists from Singapore and Brunei, Japanese visitors will be permitted to stay in China for up to 15 days without a visa.

"This new measure will promote bilateral contacts such as tourism and personnel exchanges between China and Japan," said Huang Xingyuan, counsellor with the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.

With a trade volume of US$101.91 billion last year, Japan has remained China's largest trade partner for the past 10 years while China has become Japan's second largest, behind the United States.

Official statistics indicate that 3.68 million Chinese and Japanese visited each other's country last year.

Over the years China has gradually loosened restrictions on Japanese visitors by simplifying the procedure for visa applications and providing access to long-term multi-entry visas. According to Huang, Japan has been pressing for the convenience of a visa-free option for short stays.

The new move was agreed upon during Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's visit to Japan last week. It is seen as an effort by the Chinese Government to lift the nation's tourism industry out of a relapse caused by SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in spring.

Japan has long been China's largest tourist provider, accounting for up to 20 per cent of all international visitors in recent years.

In 2002, 2.9 million Japanese tourists visited China, up 23 per cent from 2001 and hitting a record high, official figures show.

"In this case, the measure is an indication that China and Japan need each other," said Huang.

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