Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    TOKYO, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Beijing's preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games are outstanding and impressive, the president of Kyodo News Agency, Satoshi Ishikawa, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview Monday.

    The facilities for the Beijing Olympics press center are the most advanced in Olympic history, he added.

    With the authorities adopting a series of measures to ease traffic congestion, the traffic situation in the Chinese capital has improved greatly, said Ishikawa, adding that air quality in Beijing has also improved, with more "blue sky" days registered.

    "My general impression is that the problems that worry the outside world are being gradually resolved," he said.

    "The preparations for the Beijing Olympics are outstanding, both in terms of hard and soft infrastructures," he added.

    The Kyodo News Agency has sent a reporting team of 60 members to Beijing, said Ishikawa.

    "China is undergoing major changes, and we will cover the grand event from this perspective," he said. "We will report the success of the Beijing Olympics to the Japanese people."

    On China's development, the Kyodo News chief said China has become a major power in Asia after three decades of reform and opening-up.

    With the increased globalization of world trade, China has been integrated into the world market and has gained more power on the world stage with its enormous market, said Ishikawa.

    He expressed his sincere hope that China will take advantage of the Beijing Olympics to become a world-trusted leader in Asia.