Japanese archeologist Akira Machida was made an honorary professor with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Monday, becoming the first foreign archeologist to win such a title.

Machida is director of Japan's National Research Institute for Cultural Properties of Nara with expertise in ancient capitals in Japan and China.

At a ceremony Monday, Machida said he had been interested in Chinese history since he was very young over 30 years ago and that he had been engaged in the study of Chinese and Japanese cultures from an archeological perspective.

Machida had been devoted to promoting Japan-China cultural exchanges, playing an important role in several archeological projects in China, such as the excavation of relics of the Yongning Temple in Luoyang City, one of China's ancient capitals, and the Guigong Palace and Taiyechi Relics in Daming Palace in Xi'an City, another ancient capital, said Liu Qingzhu, director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Machida is also an expert in other fields of Chinese archeological research, such as ancient Chinese characters, mausoleums of the emperors of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), lacquer ware of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) and following dynasties, ancient jade ware and Buddhist temples in the Wei Dynasty (220-265 AD).

(Xinhua News Agency November 4, 2003)