CRI听力:Japanese Investment on the up in China despite Closures: MOC

China's Ministry of Commerce says Japanese investment into the country is still rising, despite recent moves by a number of Japanese companies to close their operations in China.

Newly registered Japanese businesses in China edged up 3.5 percent in January from a year earlier.

Japanese contractual investment shot up close to 47 percent last month.

Actual investment has increased 3.2 percent.

Commerce Ministry spokesperson Shen Danyang.

"Indeed, some Japanese companies have closed their plants in China, but the number is still limited. When implementing their globalization strategies, certain multinationals will undertake measures, such as merger or reorganization to adjust their business layout across the world. This is normal business activity."

A number of Japanese companies, including Panasonic, Toshiba and Citizen, have shut down some of their operations in China.

A weaker yen, on top of rising wages in China, is said to be the main reason behind the move.

Still, Japan remains among the top 10 countries investing in China.