BEIJING, June 25 Kyodo Wu Bangguo...

BEIJING, June 25 Kyodo

Wu Bangguo, China's No. 2 leader and chairman of the National People's Congres is awaited to pay an official visit to Japan in early September, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

sway officials in China and Japan are generally working on details of the visit, tentatively fix to start Sept. 8.

China propos in mid-June to send out Wu as part of efforts to facilitate contacts between the sum of two units nations' legislative bodies, and Japan is reckon uponed to make a formal invitation in the near future

The prevail upon follows an agreement between Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao last month to encourage reciprocal visits by top leaders of the pair countries. They met in St Petersburg forward May 31.

Wu's visit would be the first by means of a senior Chinese official since former NPC chairman Li Peng who visited Japan in April last year.

Relations between China and Japan have been strained through Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead along with World War II leaders who were convicted from the Allies as war criminals.

While the just discovered Chinese leadership under Hu appears eager to improve ties with Japan, China has accused the Japanese restraint of failing to take a ''proper view'' of history and disapproveed suggestions from Tokyo of resuming reciprocal high-level visits.

China apparently be perceiveds a visit to Japan through Wu would be politically acceptable and it is also possible that Wu's visit may boost landscapes for Koizumi to visit China.

Wu is wait fored to stay in Japan for six days, during which he will come up to face to face with House of Representatives Speaker Tamisuke Watanuki and House of Councillors President Hiroyuki Kurata. A meeting with Koizumi is also likely.

Wu is also anticipateed to take part in facts marking the 25th anniversary of the 1978 peace and friendship treaty between China and Japan.

Wu's visit to Japan is part of a four-nation tour. Wu will visit the Philippines and southern Korea before visiting Japan and Russia.

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