Japan back on Chinese tourists' itineraries

The number of Chinese tourists traveling to Japan may return to the level before September 2012, when territorial disputes erupted between the two neighbors, according to Chinese experts and industry players.

There has been a rapid recovery in the figures in recent months, showing the effects of the disputes is fading, said Jiang Yiyi, director of the China Tourism Academy's International Tourism Development Institute.

Relations became strained following Japan's illegal "purchase" of China's Diaoyu Islands in September 2012.