JAPANESE Vice-Premier Tsutomu Hata will invite his counterpart, Zhu Rongji, to visit Japan during his forthcoming trip to China, according to Japanese sources.
Mr Hata, who is also Foreign Minister, arrives in the Chinese capital on Saturday and will leave for home on Sunday.
Diplomats in Tokyo and Beijing said Mr Hata would convey the wish of the Government of Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa to further improve relations with China.
They said Tokyo was anxious to expand its share of the Chinese market, given signs of an improvement in Sino-European and Sino-American ties.
Apart from his host, Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, Mr Hata is expected to meet Mr Zhu, President Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng.
Diplomats in Tokyo said that apart from bilateral issues, Mr Hata would focus on security on the Korean peninsula, Sino-American ties, China's entry into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and Japan's investment in China.
''Hata, perhaps the most powerful figure in the Hosokawa Cabinet, has been forced to limit his visit to a little more than 24 hours because of political problems back home,'' a source in Tokyo said.
