A 340-member youth delegation from Japan is currently visiting China from Monday to Thursday in an attempt to promote mutual understanding of the peoples of the two countries.

This is the 21st visit to China by the Japan Junior Chamber Delegation, one of the largest non-government youth organizations in Japan.

Jiang Zhenghua, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, on Wednesday met with the delegation, which was led by Ikeda Yoshitaka.

"Although China-Japan relations remain at a historic low, the non-government organizations in the two countries should maintain contact and promote bilateral ties," Jiang said.

Yoshitaka said that the visit helped them understand the turbulent history between the two countries.

The four-day tour brought the delegation to Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province where the delegation members visited the Memorial Hall of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, in which 300,000 Chinese civilians were killed by the Japanese army.

During their stay in Beijing, they visited the Memorial Hall of Chinese People's War against Japanese Aggression and held discussions with young Chinese people from various circles.

Founded in 1951, the Japan Junior Chamber is primarily made up of people aged between 20 and 40, who run small and medium-sized enterprises.

(Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2006)