The U.S. business community is urging Japan to pursue reforms that will help the economy and attract more American investment, the visiting chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Friday.

Economic reforms currently pressed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi would increase the certainty of business operation in Japan and thus help American companies to invest in the country, said Steve Van Andel, who is also chairman of Alticor Inc., the parent company of Amway Corp.

"When businesses look at investment at some place, they look for a certain amount of certainty," he said in an interview in Tokyo. "And the direction toward economic reforms gives such certainty and helps make a market more interesting, particularly for U.S. businesses to come over and invest."

Economic reforms, which range from financial sector changes to corporate governance, would eventually help restore Japanese consumer and business confidence, which is vital to revitalizing the economy, he said.

Van Andel, 46, said he delivered the message to Koizumi and other Cabinet members on Friday. This is his first visit since he assumed the top post in June.

The U.S. chamber of commerce represents some 3 million companies in the United States.

Van Andel is also visiting to thank Japan for its support in the wake of the September terrorist attacks and to deliver a message of optimism about the U.S. economy, he said.

"To simply put, it is to say thanks to Japan from American people for all the help you are giving our President Bush and his leadership in the world coalition for the fight on the terrorism," Van Andel said.

Although the attacks and the subsequent war against terrorism have generated uncertainty -- particularly among consumers -- over the U.S. economy, the current fundamentals are strong, he said.

Van Andel believes that consumer confidence is steadily building and that the U.S. economy will rebound next year after experiencing contraction for the rest of this year.

"Regardless of what happens with the current fight on terrorism, (consumer) confidence continues to build up," the chamber chairman said. "So we'll begin to see the economy turn sometime in mid year next year."

To demonstrate the strength of the U.S. economy, Van Andel pointed to lower levels of inventories, high productivity and an unemployment rate that, though it rose to 5.4 percent in October, is relatively low.

On top of all that, the economic situation after the terrorist attacks has been handled well, with Washington preparing emergency economic packages and the Federal Reserve cutting a key interest rate, Van Andel said.

"All of these are positive signs. All of them is to me like a cannon being stuffed with gun powder just waiting for a match to light it off. And the match to light it off is consumer confidence."

Van Andel is confident of the success of the U.S.-led coalition's ongoing fight against terrorism.

"If you look at what happened on Sept. 11, maybe (you) think that terrorists start to break the world apart," he said. "But instead of breaking apart, it's really bringing the world together. How could all the countries that are part of the coalition not be successful."

And the sooner the fight on terrorism turns out to be more successful, the sooner the restoration in consumer confidence comes back as well, he said.