Japan welcomes Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's upcoming visit to the country in April, Japan's top government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Wen's visit to Japan is "extremely meaningful" for both nations to engage in "deeper dialogue on forging strategic and mutually beneficial relationship," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said at a news conference.

During his visit from April 11-13, Wen is expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and deliver a speech in the parliament. He will also visit Kyoto and Osaka cities.

This will be the first visit to Japan by a Chinese premier in seven years.

China-Japan relations had been frozen for long due to former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Japanese class-A war criminals of the World War II are honored.

China and Japan overcame political obstacles last October when Chinese President Hu Jintao and Abe met in Beijing. The two reached agreements on facilitating healthier development of bilateral relations, which brought bilateral ties back on track for improvement.

Source: Xinhua