Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned from the top post on June 2, will go to China at the weekend to attend the Shanghai Expo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said Thursday.

At a press conference, Sengoku said that the former premier's three-day visit to Shanghai is to attend the "Japan Day" events scheduled for Saturday.

"With the envoy's (Hatoyama) visit, we are hoping that friendly ties between Japan and China will be deepened," he said.