Chinese foreign minister Yang to visit Japan from Thurs.+

TOKYO, Nov. 17 Kyodo - Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will visit Japan from Thursday to Sunday, his first visit to Japan since the country saw a historic change of government in September, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Tuesday.

The Chinese minister's visit, during which he will meet with Okada on Thursday,
is apparently intended to lay the groundwork for an early visit to Japan by
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is seen as a leading candidate to
succeed Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Japan and China are considering realizing Xi's visit by the end of the year,
but Okada told a regular press conference that nothing has been decided at the
moment.
Topics to be touched on during the planned talks between Okada and Yang are
likely to include such bilateral concerns as a dispute over gas field
development in the East China Sea and the issue of Chinese-made frozen
dumplings that made people ill in Japan.
The North Korean nuclear issue is also expected to be discussed.
Yang is also likely to meet Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and visit
Kyoto during his stay.
==Kyodo