Kyodo News Japan's travel industry is hoping that this year will see an official agreement to allow Chinese from selected areas to visit Japan on package tours, and that more than 1 million Chinese tourists will visit in less than a decade.
Some say that figure is unrealistically high, but such expectations stem from a recent Japan-China accord under which China will issue passports to residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong Province, and Japan will grant them visas. The plan applies to group tours only and is starting on a trial basis in September.
The official arrangement will be applicable only to residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong for now.