OSAKA -- Business groups in the Kansai region said Wednesday they will send a mission to China on Sunday to discuss economic changes with government leaders.
The mission will be headed by Yoshihisa Akiyama, chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation, and Wa Tashiro, chairman of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
It is hoped the four-day visit will strengthen ties and lure investment to Kansai following China's entry into the World Trade Organization late last year.
The mission will meet with government leaders in Beijing and exchange views on creating a new partnership.
Discussions on intellectual property rights and other issues in trade and investment will be held with trade officials. The delegates will meet with young entrepreneurs in the fast-growing venture business sector.
It will be the fifth representative mission to China from the Kansai business community since 1971.
Separately, the Kansai groups will send four fact-finding missions to western China and the country's coastal areas to visit local firms and Japanese companies doing business there.