As business and tourist travel grows between Japan and China, the largest Chinese airline has launched its 21st service to Japan.

Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines began flying Tuesday between Guangzhou, Shanghai and the Japanese city of Kitakyushu.

Kitakyushu is the largest port city and water transportation hub in Japan. "The new air route is expected to boost business and cultural ties between Japan and China's southern and eastern regions," the airline said.

The carrier promised more service from China to Tokyo in the future. China Southern also recently launched new service to Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore.

One of the reasons Japanese arrivals in Hawaii have been down so far this year is that more Japanese are traveling to other destinations, especially China.