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Ikuo Hirayama, chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Association, said here Friday that after SARS, China was still the safest place in the world, and he expects more Japanese visitors to the country.
Hirayama, also a renowned painter, said during a meeting with Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's highest legislature, that because of the SARS outbreak, he has had to postpone his scheduled April China visit until now.
"Yesterday when I visited the ruins of a city wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), I found lots of old people practicing Tai Chi and dancing there. And they even invited me to join them. I was deeply moved by their brisk mood," he said.
He said the Japanese media's excessive coverage of the epidemic had made many people feel that China was not safe enough.
"But the old people's ease has reassured me that China has recovered well from the outbreak."
Hirayama, a 73-year-old who has visited most parts of the world and been to China "numerous times", said like many Japanese, he has always believed China to be the world's safest travel destination.
"If Japanese people see the expressions on those old people dancing they will feel safe to visit China too," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2003)
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