President of China-Japan Friendship Association Tang Jiaxuan met  the main members of the delegation for China-Japan Friendship communication from Kyushu, Japan in Beijing on 8. April, which is led by Matsumoto Ryu, the former Japanese environment minister, president of Japan-China friendship Association in Fukuoka. 

President Tang welcomed the visit of the delegation to China and highly evaluated the active efforts of Japan-China Friendship Association in Kyushu area to improve the bilateral relations. he said that this year is the key year in the developing process for improving Sino-Japan relations. Inthis background, the nongovernmental friendship organizations between China and Japan should have the general interests at heart, gather all the forces, take active action and do more helpful and strengthening-base work to promote the development of Sino-Japan relations toward the right direction. Both sides should work hard to further expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges, to deepen pragmatic cooperation as well as to promote local and youth exchanges between China and Japan.

President Matsumoto thanked the president Tang for taking time to meet the delegation, he said, in the situation of difficult times of the  Japan-China relations, Japan-China Friendship Association in Kyushu area have held the Meetings for Japan-China Friendship Communication in Kyushu in three successive years, they have organized big delegations visiting China and made efforts to improve the bilateral relations. In the future, they will continue to carry out the tradition of promoting the governmental diplomacy through nongovernmental diplomacy and continuously enlarge the foundation of friendship, make contributions for the longstanding Japan-China friendship. 

It's the third time for the nongovernmental friendship organizations in Kyushu area to organize massive delegations to visit China. Besides visiting Bejing, they will also visit Tangshan, Dalian, as well as donate cherry trees to Caofeidian China-Japan Industrial Park and hold tree planting events.