Japan and China to sail replica of historic ship

Japan and China plan to sail a replica of a ship used to carry Japanese missions to China in ancient times.

Japan's Kadokawa Culture Promotion Foundation, the organizer of the project, held a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.

The project marks the 1,300th anniversary of the start of the Nara Period in Japan. It also coincides with the opening of the World Expo in Shanghai.

According to the plan, the wooden sailboat is scheduled to leave Osaka in May with about 20 people on board. It will follow a 1,300-kilometer route before arriving in Shanghai in June.

The ship is currently being built in China based on historical records. It is expected to be about 30 meters long and 10 meters wide and will be rowed or powered by engine along part of the route.

From the 7th to 9th century, dozens of Japanese missions sailed to Tang, as China was called at the time, to study its advanced culture.