Sagging Japanese investment in China is expected to pick up after several years of declines, as better relations between the two nations boost business confidence, according to a white paper released yesterday by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China. But it also called for fair treatment, more transparent administrative procedures, and a further opening of the market. Of the 8,852 Japanese businesses surveyed late last year for the white paper, some 40.1% said they were willing to expand their business on the Chinese mainland, while 7.1% wanted to scale down or withdraw. That compares to 38.1% wanting to expand in 2015, and 10.6% keen to scale down or leave. The South China Morning Post reports it was the first time the proportion of Japanese businesses aiming to expand in China had grown, albeit only slightly, in recent years, and it was also the first time since 2011 the percentage of those wanting to exit declined.