Chinese tourists can't get enough of Japan

Beijing

THERE'S no lack of ill will in China towards Japan. The chilly diplomatic relationship between Beijing and Tokyo is matched by occasional expressions of antagonism by the Chinese public. In September, the 10th Japan-China Public Opinion Poll showed that only 11.3 per cent of Chinese had a favourable opinion of Japan, with 57.3 per cent claiming that their impression had worsened over the last year.

And yet, despite this apparent disdain, Chinese tourists can't seem to get enough of Japan. In 2014, 2.4 million Chinese visited Japan, an 83 per cent increase on the previous year. And last week the Japanese government announced that it was increasing Chinese consular staff to handle a surge of Chinese visa applications.