Senior Chinese political advisor Luo Haocai met with former Japanese Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata in Beijing Wednesday afternoon, calling for further exchanges in news media between the two countries.

Luo, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said news media shoulders great responsibility for creating an harmonious environment of public opinion to push the long-term and steady development of bilateral ties.

He called for joint efforts from Chinese and Japanese news media to dispel doubts and boost mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Luo's remarks were echoed by Tsutomu Hata, who headed a Japanese delegation here for activities marking a Chinese magazine's debut in Japan.

According to a Sino-Japanese joint survey, more than 90 percent of the nationals in the two countries knew each other via news media, Hata said.

He hailed the publication of the Japanese version of the China Newsweek as helpful for cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The successful debut of the magazine in Japan proves that Japanese people are eager to know China and its reform and development, said Hata.

The magazine, first published in May 2007, has been distributed in more than 25,000 bookstores, metro stations and convenient stores in Japan.

As China's first news magazine in the Japanese journal market, the China Newsweek covers a wide range of fields, including politics, economy, environment, energy, culture, education, sports, social affairs as well as China-Japan relations and international affairs.

A reception was held in the Great Hall of People Wednesday evening for the celebration. Some 100 people from China and Japan attended the reception.

(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2007)