Japanese trade officials expect auto exports to China to recover by the second half of this year, to the same levels they were before the recent territorial dispute between the two countries.

She Xing, an economic officer at the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO, said on Wednesday that Japanese cars sales suffered a 40 percent decline in September in China.

But between October and December, monthly sales had risen gradually, thanks to a series of promotions by Japan's carmakers.