Japanese rescue experts arrived Friday in China's earthquake-hit Sichuan province, state media reported, the first foreign team allowed into the devastated region to search for victims. A team of 31 rescuers arrived early Friday in the Sichuan capital of Chengdu while another 29-strong team, bringing sniffer dogs, was to reach the area in the afternoon, Xinhua news agency reported. A foreign ministry official was quoted earlier as saying it marked the first time ever that China's government had accepted foreign professionals for a domestic disaster rescue and relief operation. The team of 31 was headed for the stricken town of Guanzhuang in Qingchuan county near the epicentre of Monday's 7.9-magnitude quake, it said.