ne junpei yoshioka, washington. e junpei yoshioka, n washington. junpei yoshioka, nh washington. junpei yoshioka, nhk washington. >>> thanks to its robust growth, china is moving toward becoming one of the world's most influential nations. only in the last few days, it has become more certain that china will this year overtake japan as the world's second largest economy. some are finding their way into an unexpected part of japan's real estate market. its forests. >> reporter: the chinese economy continues to thrive. at a luxury hotel in beijing, a recent trade show featuring overseas properties attracted a large number of investors. they are mostly middle class business people and public sector workers. chinese are not allowed to own property under the country's socialist system. for them the japanese market is especially attractive, as japan has few restrictions on foreign ownership of land. >> translator: i don't think $2 million is expensive. our place is about the same price too. >> reporter: chinese people with deep pockets are buying up japanese properties. their cash is n