By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-03-11 09:22

Six groups of Japanese youths reached China Monday on a weeklong visit to enhance mutual understanding and take part in the opening ceremony of the China-Japan Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth on Saturday.

A seventh and last group, of 21 senior high school students, will land in Beijing on Friday.

Among the 1,000-strong delegation are 500 students from 84 senior high schools and 200 from 34 universities, including Kyoto-based Ritsumeikan University, where Premier Wen Jiabao played baseball with the varsity team during his Japan tour in April last year.

The rest of them come from a varied sector of society, from parliament and government to education and business circles.

When they met in Singapore in November, Premier Wen and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda agreed to name this year the China-Japan Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth to boost the friendship between peoples of the two countries.

Two of the six groups landed in Shanghai, and the others in Chongqing, Dalian, Chengdu and Guangzhou yesterday. They will visit scenic spots, historical sites and other tourist attractions and communicate with local students there.

The event will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty, which legally endorsed the China-Japan Joint Statement that normalized bilateral relations in 1972.