"I started learning Chinese in my freshman year and then I had the opportunity to study in Beijing as an exchange student in my sophomore year. I made a lot of Chinese friends," Yudai Maekawa, a junior student in Teikyo University, told Xinhua recently.

While attending an event held in Tokyo to promote studying in China and job opportunities, Maekawa said, "China's economy is developing rapidly ... I want to find a job related to Chinese and China."

At the event, about 1,500 students took the Chinese proficiency test (HSK) and several hundred other students participated in a promotion activity concerning studying in China as well as a job fair.

"There were 34,018 applicants for the HSK in Japan last year, and based on this year's registration momentum, there are likely to be more than 40,000 applicants this year," said Munashi Masuzawa, president of the Japan Youth Development Association.

In 2010, only around 200 people took the HSK, but the number of HSK examinees in Japan has been increasing year by year.