Envoy: China still vital for Japanese firms

China remains crucial for Japanese enterprises despite strained relations between the two largest economies in Asia and the sharp decline of Japanese investment in China, according to the Japanese consul-general in Shanghai.

"Emerging as a huge market, China will occupy a more important role in the strategies of Japanese enterprises, including manufacturing businesses," Masahiro Kohara said in an interview with China Business News.

"In this sense, China's crucial role (for Japanese enterprises) has not changed much."